[Update 8:37 p.m.: Warning About How Fires Elsewhere Are Drawing Off Local Crews] Vegetation Fire Reported West of Honeydew

Just before 2:40 p.m. today, Petrolia Fire received a report of a fire in the area of Lindley Road at Mattole Road, west of Honeydew.

A full wildland response was ordered including air support while Petrolia and Mattole fire departments responded.

In the meantime, the reporting party called in to emergency dispatch directly, reporting that the caller could see and smell smoke in that area. The first unit at scene reported that a 30 x 30-foot vegetation fire was in light fuels, grass and trees, with no immediate threat to structures.

Air attack is en route to access the situation overhead. Two tankers and a helicopter are en route from Redding.

Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available. 

Update 3:09 p.m.: The additional air resources on order and incoming fire crews have been cancelled. According to scanner traffic, firefighters have a hose lay around the perimeter of the fire.

Update: In an interview with KMUD News, Cal Fire Public Information Officer, Jeremy Ward stated that the final acreage of the Lindley Fire was estimated to be 0.8 acres. Mop up efforts were anticipated to take approximately 3 hours.

UPDATE 8:37 p.m.: Chief 6600 of Petrolia Chris Gilda told us, “One of our firefighters received a direct phone call that someone was seeing or smelling smoke in the 40,000 block of Mattole Road.” He explained that the first engine on scene was Rio Dell engine that was covering the area for Cal Fire. The fire grew from a 30×30 to .89 acres before it was stopped.

“We put hose lays around the fire which was at legal grow,” Gilda explained. “The soil medium was dry and caught fire…It took hours to put out all the duff.  There is damage to the plants, [but] they were too green to catch fire.”

Multiple departments responded: Honeydew with one type six engine and a water tender, Petrolia with a command vehicle and one type 3 engine, CALFIRE with an engine out of Garberville, a battalion chief out of Weott and a hand crew out of High Rock, as well as Air Attack 102.

Gilda said that the cause of the fire is undetermined. However, the landowners feel that it is possible that somehow weedwhacking yesterday, caused a spark to smolder and then ignite today.

Chief Gilda warned that CALFIRE has had to send strike teams to assist with multiple large fires elsewhere and is “super drawn down.”  He told us, “Everyone needs to be super vigilant for the next 48 hours with the fireworks and the celebrations.”

Then he added, “Everyone needs to drink water instead of beer. Fire resources are at a minimum in the county. Everyone needs to be hyper aware of that in every action they take.”