[UPDATE 1:30 p.m.] Hwy 20 Reopens
UPDATE 11:20 a.m.: Caltrans posted on Facebook, “This is the first time the highway has been fully open in Lake County after being closed 11 days ago due to the Ranch Fire. Motorists should drive with extra caution due to fire crews still working in the area.”
UPDATE 1:30 p.m.: From Tom Fitzgerald, Deputy Director of Maintenance and Operations, Caltrans District 1:
We are very thankful and proud of our maintenance crews. They have put in long hours with no days off since these fires started. Many of them have been away from their families and some cases not sure if their own homes were safe. We thank them for all their hard work in clearing the roads and helping to keep people safe.
We decided to open the road to traffic but the work is far from done. All the highways in the Mendocino Complex Fire need extensive repairs- guardrails, signs, culverts, and more. This area will be an active construction zone for months to come. Please drive with caution and watch for all the crews repairing the fire damage.
Earlier Chapters:
- Mandatory Evacuations for River Fire 4000 Acres / Ranch Fire Grown to 1000 Acres
- Thousands Without Electricity in Lake and Mendocino County as Major Wildfires Rage
- Mendocino Complex Devours Almost 25,000 Acres (Maps, Photos)
- Hwy 20 Closed as Ranch Fire Runs Out of Control
- More Evacuations as Both Fires of the Mendocino Complex Plow Deeper Into Lake County
- The Two Fiery Claws of the Mendocino Complex Squeeze Clear Lake and Its Communities (Maps, Photos)
- Kelseyville and Finley Area Ordered to Immediately Evacuate as River Fire Rushes Southeast
- The Mendocino Complex: Nearly 75,000 Acres Burned, 12% Contained [Maps, Photos]
- The Mendocino Complex: Still Burning Hot and Fast
- Mendocino County Fights Back Onslaught of Fires, But the Complex Grew Almost 20,000 Acres Yesterday
- The Mendocino Complex: Maps, Photos, Videos
- SR 175 Reopened in Lake County as River Fire Heads North
- Mendocino Complex Grew Around 50,000 Acres Yesterday [Maps, Photos]
- Marijuana Growers Arrested After Choosing to Water Plants Rather Than Evacuate, Says Lake County Sheriff’s Office
- Massive Mendocino Complex Now Fifth Largest in California History as It Jumps to Over 250,000 Acres [Maps, Videos, Photos]
- The Mendocino Complex Rolls Through New Land (Maps, Photos)
- Mendocino Complex Grows to 290,000 Acres Making It the Largest Fire in Modern California History [Maps]
- Mendocino Complex Is Now Over 300,000 Acres
- Hwy 20 Reopens
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Great, want use it next week!!
Thank you Kym for all the invaluable coverage, info and photo’s, it was always spot on. We have been evacuated for 11 days now, will wait a couple more, see if the smoke clears out and the traffic slows down. Thanks again xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Alright! Finally! Now come on 299 I am in need to get outta here for a minute…
Whooo hooo! Heading home. Love you, Humboldt, but there’s noooo place like home.
Thank you, Kym and your associates, for the best coverage. I don’t know how you do it.