SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Caldor Fire burned out of control overnight, prompting urgent evacuations early Tuesday morning in the communities of Grizzly Flats and Happy Valley.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office at 6 a.m. issued mandatory evacuation orders for all roads off of Grizzly Flats and Happy Valley roads, expanding on earlier orders issued around midnight and 3:30 a.m.
The vegetation fire ignited Saturday evening about four miles south of Grizzly Flats but made aggressive runs and created spot fires from long distances Monday, according to an evening update from the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire.
The agencies on Tuesday reported the fire at 6,500 acres, nearly tripling in size overnight. It remains 0% contained.
Cal Fire and the Forest Service in a joint incident update Tuesday morning wrote that “extreme” fire behavior overnight led to structure loss, but that conditions are not yet safe for officials to assess the full extent of damage. More than 2,000 structures are still threatened.
“The fire continues to pose a high risk to multiple populated communities,” officials wrote. “The Fire is predicted to impact Sly Park Lake and interstate travel including important evacuation routes.”
Pioneer Union School District in a Facebook post said all three of its campuses — Pioneer Elementary, Walt Tyler Elementary and Mountain Creek Middle School — will be closed Tuesday due to the fire.
About 240 personnel are assigned to the fire. “The organization is stretched due to staffing shortages and other fire incidents,” the Forest Service wrote in an incident report.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District in a tweet said Metro Fire, the Sacramento Fire Department, the Cosumnes Fire Department and Folsom Fire Department were sending an “immediate need strike team” to assist with the Caldor Fire.
An evacuation center is being established at the Cameron Park Community Center.
Crews are bracing for gusty winds to continue. The National Weather Service has a red flag warning in place across a wide swath of interior Northern California and the Sierra Nevada foothills, in effect 5 p.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday due to gusts that could reach 35 mph.
Gusts could hit 20 mph in Grizzly Flats on Tuesday before the red flag warning officially takes effect, forecasts show.
Forest Service officials wrote in Tuesday’s incident report that “aggressive fire growth and runs of 3+ miles are probable” amid gusty winds, unless there is an inversion produced by the smoke.
Wildfire monitoring cameras in El Dorado County showed a mammoth cloud of dark smoke towering over nearby wooded areas around 8 a.m.
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