Firefighters are working a wildfire in Round Valley this afternoon that flared up in dry vegetation and grew to 2-3 acres in size in less than 15 minutes.
As of 2:56 p.m., the Incident Commander is requesting more ground resources be deployed to extinguish the flames as the head of the fire crept close to a roadway.
The first reports of the fire came out around 2:40 p.m. near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Concow Boulevard.
The first report on conditions described the fire as ranging from one-quarter to one-half acre in size burning in dry vegetation on a slope.
UPDATE 3:34 p.m.: Scanner traffic indicates the fire has jumped a private road and multiple spot fires jumped ahead of the main fire.
Air resources have been requested to assist firefighters in getting a visual of the flames.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has released a situational awareness warning about the fire:
Situational Awareness: Wildfire in the Covelo area, near Concow Blvd / Foothill Blvd, NO further action needed at this time, Use caution and avoid the area.
UPDATE 3:50 p.m.: Deputies at the scene told dispatch they would begin going door-to-door in the area of Wylacki Court to communicate to residents about the fire and the possibility of an evacuation warning.
UPDATE 4:05 p.m.: The Incident Commander reported the fire is currently three acres in size and sent two spot fires. Air resources were deployed to the fire including two air tankers, one spotter plane, and a helicopter.
UPDATE 4:39 p.m.: Both ground and air resources continue to contain and extinguish the Concow Fire. Locals have told us high winds are complicating their efforts.
CALFIRE Mendocino Unit issued the following tweet about the Concow Fire:
UPDATE 5:28 p.m.: Patricia Austin, the Public Information Officer for CALFIRE Mendocino, told KMUD News Director Lauren Schmitt the Concow Fire now stands at five acres in size. As of 5:11 p.m., there were seven engines, and two hand crews, with a total of 72 personnel 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.