Wildfire Bulletin: Rush Fire Closes 395 and Roads North of Wendel

The fire is located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Northern California District (BLM-CA-NOD,) Eagle Lake Field Office, approximately 15 miles southeast of Ravendale, California. The fire is burning near a major natural gas line and transfer station, and power transmission lines that supply the Reno area. Aggressive fire suppression around the line is ongoing.

The fire grew significantly yesterday from thunder cell downdrafts with spreading the fire nearly 10 miles in a few hours. The fire is currently within a mile of US Route (Highway) 395. There are voluntary evacuations of structures along eastern side of Highway 395. Travelers along the Highway 395 corridor, please use caution near the fire crews and equipment working in the fire area. Highway 395 may be closed due to fire activity. Please check for current road conditions with CalTrans at http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi or 800-427-7623. Road closures within the fire area are being implemented today.

Resource concerns in the area include critical habitat for sage grouse and other wildlife, and multiple cultural and historical sites, 4 Wilderness Study Area (WSA), and the Nobles Emigrant National Historic Trail. The fire is also impacting livestock grazing allotments and habitat for federal protected wild horses and burros. Fire managers are working closely with area resource protection staff to mitigate fire damage.

High pressure over Nevada and California will keep temperatures above normal with a forecast of hot and dry conditions through the week, and isolated thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon. These weather conditions will continue to create extreme fire behavior and rapid rates of spread such as firefighters witnessed in the fire area yesterday.