[Update: Evacuation Orders Downgraded to Warnings] Hill Fire prompts evacuation orders in south Shasta County

The Hill Fire as seen on the Eighmy2 camera on the ALERTCalifornia system.

A wildfire burning in south Shasta County has grown to approximately 15 acres and pushed two zones into mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday.

The Hill Fire is burning west of Cottonwood and Anderson, near Interstate 5. The fire is moving to the southwest and burning in heavy fuel with a moderate rate of spread, according to Watch Duty. Several structures are threatened.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said the fire is burning in the area of Happy Hills Road and Happy Valley Road. Zones COT-9520 and HAP-7490 are under an evacuation order, meaning residents in those areas must leave immediately and the area is closed to the public. Authorities are asking people to stay away so fire crews can work.

Click image to go to the Genasys Protect map.

According to Genasys Protect, zone COT-9520 covers the area north of Buttermilk Lane, south of Coyote Lane, east of Salzman Gulch and west of Claudio Lane. Zone HAP-7490 covers the area north of Six B Road, south of Coyote Lane, east of Happy Valley Road and west of Bonnett Trail. Temperatures in the area were in the low 90s in the area this afternoon.

The sheriff’s office said the order applies to all residents in the area due to the fire near Happy Hills. Officials described it as an immediate threat to life and a lawful order to leave now, with the area lawfully closed to public access. Residents can check whether their address falls within an evacuation zone at protect.genasys.com/search.

CAL FIRE air support above the Hill Fire as seen on FlightRadar24.com.

Cal Fire has multiple aircraft assigned to the incident, including Sikorsky Firehawk 601, Air Attack OV-10A CFR 240 and Air Tanker 181, among others, according to FlightRadar24. As of 1:23 p.m. some aircraft were released.

As of 1:32 p.m., incident command relayed that the fire remains at 15 acres with hose lay and dozer line around the fire area. Lines down in the area were reportedly communications lines. The appropriate agencies have been notified.

The estimated commitment time is estimated at 4 to 5 hours.

This is a developing story. Redheaded Blackbelt will update as more information becomes available.

Update 2:45 p.m.: The evacuation orders for zones COT-9520 and HAP-7490 in the Hill Fire has been downgraded to an evacuation warning, according to Genasys Protect.

The warning was downgraded this afternoon at 2:28 p.m. for the area near Happy Hills. A warning means there is a potential threat to life and property, and residents who need extra time to leave, along with those who have pets or livestock, should evacuate now. Happy Hills Road has a soft closure in place for residents.

An evacuation warning is one step below an evacuation order. It does not require residents to leave immediately, but it means conditions could change and people should be ready to go.

Redheaded Blackbelt will update as more information becomes available.