Scanner traffic as of 5:00 p.m. indicates multiple resources have been requested to respond to a vegetation fire that is burning in the hills west of Highway 101 and Nelson Ranch Road. There is reportedly a white column of smoke associated with the fire.
A full wild land fire response has been requested to the incident including a water tender and helicopter.
This fire comes just minutes after Hopland Fire and Ukiah Valley Fire Authority responded to a small grass fire on the Highway 101.
The fire is being referred to as the “Burke Incident.”
UPDATE 5:12 p.m.: Responding firefighters reported the fire could potentially be up to one acre at this time.
UPDATE 5:28 p.m.
UPDATE 5:41 p.m.: Multiple resources have been cancelled as responding fire personnel have gotten a better sense of the blaze’s extent.
UPDATE 6:39 p.m.
Cal Fire Mendocino Unit Chief George Gonzalez reported on Twitter at 5:41 p.m. the fire is approximately 1/2 acre and growing at a slow rate of spread. He said that “helitak and Hopland Fire, Ukiah Valley and Cal Fire at scene.”
Please remember that this story is unfolding. Information is being reported as we gather it. However, some of the information coming from witnesses and initial official reports could be wrong. We will do our best to get the facts but, in the case that something is inaccurate, we will update with correct information as soon as we can.
What started these 2 fires?
I think this might have been a smoldering lightning strike from the storm the day before. I saw a lightening strike hit the ridge and almost caught it on video.