Mill Fire and Mountain Fire in Northern California
The tragedy of California’s two most recent wildfires.
Image of California Mill Fire.
September 13, 2022
Up in the forests of Northern California, two fires known as the “Mill Fire” and the “Mountain Fire” are threatening the lives and safety of California residents.
The Mill Fire, although the smallest, is currently raging in Siskiyou county. It has only been contained by 40%, and it has already burned around 4,263 acres of Siskiyou County land, while also taking out more than 100 structures.
Many of these structures are homes of Siskiyou County residents that were forced to evacuate days prior to the spread. This evacuation order has been recently lifted, seeing as the fire is not anticipated to spread more.
Beyond this, the Mill Fire has claimed two lives. Two women – around the ages of 66 and 73 – were identified early Monday morning and were located by first responders in the city limits of Weed. No other information about the identities of these women are currently available to the public.
The Mill Fire was started on Sept. 2, and the cause of this fire is unknown as it is still under investigation by county officials.
Firefighters are still battling the flames, but due to the increased heat wave predicted within the next week, many fear the Mill Fire will not be put out soon.
Although much of the Mill Fire is contained, not too far North, the Mountain Fire is still raging, with only 10% currently contained.
The Mountain Fire has done significantly more damage than the Mill Fire, burning 10,338 acres and threatening around 600 structures.
About 300 people living southeast of Gazelle, a designated area within Siskiyou County located close to the fire, have been evacuated for their safety and removed from their homes. Many families that are not evacuated in the area have found themselves without electricity, hot water, and air conditioning for the time being.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a state of emergency for Siskiyou County in response to the fires.
“The Governor announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the fire,” Newsom’s office said on their official website.
Firefighters currently battling the fire are finding themselves fighting the flames in record-breaking California heat that is reported to be reaching up to triple digits in the next few weeks. Due to these high temperatures, humidity levels are low and the spread of the Mountain Fire continues dangerously.
Many Northern California residents fear the course these two fires have been taking, and if either will be put out soon.
(Article written Monday September 5th 6:00pm, recent news linked below)
