Smoke rising from the #ArnoldFire [Photo from the AlertCalifornia Geysers Peak Camera]
A vegetation fire dubbed the “Preston Fire” is flaring up near the Mendocino/Sonoma County Line this afternoon, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, igniting in the area of Highway 101 and Geysers Road on the east side of the Russian River.
Firefighters on the scene reported the fire is currently two acres in size. The flames are running uphill, driven by the slope, and spreading rapidly. The blaze has already caused one spot fire to jump across a nearby roadway.
A full wildland dispatch has been requested to respond to the incident.
CAL FIRE LNU published the following information about the incident:
UPDATE 4:48 p.m.: Air resources are enroute to the Preston Fire and the Incident Commander is requesting more water tenders reporting that the fire has reached a grove of eucalyptus trees.
UPDATE 4:53 p.m.: The Air Attack Incident Commander reported that the Preston Fire is currently burning three acres with a moderate rate of spread. The fire is advancing up a slope, exhibiting torching activity in oak and grass woodlands. The potential for the fire to extend significantly is low.
The #PrestonFire burning near the Mendocino/Sonoma County Line [Photograph provided by a reader]
UPDATE 4:58 p.m.: The Air Attack Incident Commander reported the fire’s forward progress has been stopped.
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.
Fire stopped and invasive eucalyptus grove burned. Double win.
They are resilient and will likely recover.
A much worse fire went through there in the late 1980’s and pretty much destroyed the community of Preston.It occured on a very windy morning around two in the am.
The artist types who were living there at the time and the fire fighters had little chance of stopping it.