LOS ANGELES — The River fire in Northern California has forced 5,200 people from their homes in Nevada and Placer counties and destroyed dozens of structures.
The fire is burning about 55 miles southeast of the Dixie fire, which destroyed much of the downtown of Greenville on Wednesday.
The 2,400-acre River fire started at the Bear River Campground on Wednesday afternoon and quickly burned uphill through brush and timber, destroying homes on both sides of the river that serves as the dividing line between the two counties, said Mary Eldridge, public information officer with Cal Fire.
“Fire likes to run uphill, and this fire has definitely done that,” she said. “It started at the river bottom and then burned straight up the ridges to the ridgetop.”
At least 50 structures were destroyed. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
The fire’s rapid growth was stoked by hot temperatures, gusty winds and historically dry conditions, Eldridge said.
“The timber is dry. The bushes are dry,” she said. “We’re looking at the beginning of August, and conditions are like what we would normally see four to six weeks later, without precipitation.”
Authorities reported the blaze 0% contained as of Thursday morning and said they were bracing for another day of active fire behavior.
“It’s a very complex situation and it’s evolving moment to moment,” Eldridge said.
