[UPDATE 9:18 p.m.: Video, 2000 Acres] Evacuations as the Hill Fire South of Willow Creek Grows

A strike team and Humboldt County Sheriff deputies are being sent to the #HillFire south of Willow Creek as of 4 p.m. after the blaze has grown to approximately 2000 500 acres. Evacuations have been ordered for the Friday Ridge area and evacuation warnings have been issued for the area east of that. The area in red below has an Evacuation Order. The area in yellow is an evacuation warning. Click on the map to see more details.

Multiple aircraft are overhead–including three helicopters and multiple tankers-T12, T91, T95, T96, T103, and T104. They are dropping water and retardant on the flames.

The heat signature from the fire is concerning.

The #HillFire has an impressive radar signature consistent with an intense burning wildfire. It is also producing a tall pyrocumulus with tops of at least 29 kft. pic.twitter.com/nai4pQY3z6

— MNStorm (@mn_storm) July 16, 2024

Information from Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department:

EVACUATION ORDER Issued for Zone HUM-E077A: Due to the Hill Fire, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has issued an immediate evacuation order for zone HUM-E077-A North of White Oak Creek/Grouse Creek, South of Friday Ridge Road, Forest Route 6N08A, East of Titlow Hill Rd, Twin Lakes Creek, West of Mosquito Creek/Madden Creek. Those in this zone should leave now for their safety.

EVACUATION WARNING Issued for Zone HUM-E077-B: Due to the Hill Fire, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation warning for zone HUM-E077-B North of PG&E Rod, Grouse Creek, South of Madden Creek, Forest Route 6N06, East of Mosquito Creek/Madden Creek, West of Trinity County Line. Prepare for potential evacuations, including personal supplies and overnight accommodations. Those in this zone should prepare to leave at a moment’s notice. More information will follow if an evacuation order is issued.

Conditions are subject to change at anytime. Please visit protect.genasys.com for a full zone description. For more information call 707-268-2500 or go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency.

Sign up for Humboldt Alert emergency notifications at humboldtgov.org/alert.

For more information, call 707-268-2500.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.: CAL FIRE’s current map of the #HillFire:

UPDATE 5:35 p.m.: Six Rivers National Forest Service is reporting that the Hill Fire is “is growing at a rapid rate with extreme fire behavior…The fire is growing to the north in heavy timber as fire conditions continue to be hot and dry.”

But, they also have some good news. They state, “The Hennessey 2, Ridge 2, and Waterman Fires are all staying within their fire perimeters of less than a quarter acre each.”

UPDATE 9:18 p.m.:

The above video by Mark Feldman shows a helicopter at Berry Summit preparing to fight the Hill Fire this afternoon.

UPDATE: Hill Fire in Humboldt County Jumps to 3,437 Acres, 0% Containment

Earlier:

• Lightning Activity Starts Fires in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest
• At Least 50 Lightning Strikes in the Six Rivers National Forest Cause Multiple Fires