Firefighters continued suppression efforts against the Lucas Fire, burning near the Mendocino National Forest and Bachelor Valley Sunday, Sept. 13.
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The wildfire initially began Thursday, Sept. 10, near the border of Mendocino and Lake counties. The fire jumped containment Thursday afternoon as wind speeds increased and changed direction. The burn quickly grew in size, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders and warnings to residents in the area.
RELATED: Map: Lucas Fire near Clear Lake
Cal Fire reported the burn was 4,008 acres and 20% contained Sunday morning. Though windy conditions persisted in the area, temperatures dropped significantly, according to spokesperson Sherri Wise. The red flag warning for Lake County was lifted while crews focused on strengthening containment through extinguishing hot spots in the interior of the fire.
“For the last two nights, we’ve had five night-flying helicopters assigned to this incident which has really helped us start to turn a corner on this incident and slow the growth of the incident,” Operation Section Chief Ryan Isham said Sunday morning in an operations update video released by Cal Fire.
Wise explained the burn had mostly stayed in its footprint over the last two days. She said the fire was burning up to the border of the Mendocino National Forest but had not yet reached it Sunday afternoon.
No injuries were reported in the incident Sunday afternoon and inspections to determine if any structures were damaged or destroyed were ongoing, according to Wise.
A hand crew with the Ventura County Fire Department, take a break at the Lucas Fire along Elk Mountain Road north of Upper Lake, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in the Mendocino National Forest. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
On the Bachelor Valley flank of the Lucas Fire west of Upper Lake, Cal Fire’s Howard Forest Helitack cools down a spot fire near the edge of a firebreak, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. The brackish water is being pulled from the Scotts Creek estuary. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Reese Tiffany, a sawyer with USFS Elk Mountain Interagency Hot Shot crew from Upper Lake, walks to his next post on the Lucas Fire, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
On the Bachelor Valley flank of the Lucas Fire west of Upper Lake, Cal Fire’s Howard Forest Helitack cools down a spot fire near the edge of a firebreak, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. The brackish water is being pulled from the Scotts Creek estuary. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Flames encroach on a fire break at the Lucas Fire above Bachelor Valley, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, west of Upper Lake (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Joe Britton, left, and Elliott Sage of the Ventura County Fire Department, monitor the Lucas Fire along Elk Mountain Road north of Upper Lake, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Three bulldozers are used to create a firebreak across the drainage of Middle Creek as a contingency line if the Lucas Fire were to spot across Elk Mountain Road in Lake County, north of Upper Lake, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
In the burn scar of the 2018 Ranch Fire which was part of the Mendocino Complex, the 4,008 acre Lucas Fire burns in the Middle Creek drainage of Lake County, north of Upper Lake, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
In the burn scar of the 2018 Ranch Fire which was part of the Mendocino Complex, the 4,008 acre Lucas Fire burns in the Middle Creek drainage of Lake County, north of Upper Lake, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Phoenix Lyle of the Ventura County Fire Department watches for spot fires at the edge of the Lucas Fire, along Elk Mountain Road north of Upper Lake, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
On the Bachelor Valley flank of the Lucas Fire west of Upper Lake, a fire break is reinforced with fire retardant Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Road closures along Highway 20 at Saratoga Springs Road and Witter Springs Road were lifted Sunday morning, but evacuation orders and warnings remained in place for residents.
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In Lake County, evacuation orders were still in place for zones: MNF-E016, 18, and 19 and UPP-E023, 25, 27 and 30 as of Saturday afternoon. Evacuation warnings were in place for zones MNF-E012, 13, 15, 17, 21, 26, 28B, 32, 35 and 38.
In Mendocino County, an evacuation order was in place for zone MEN-2POT08-B and warnings were issued for zones MEN-2POT08-A and MEN-2UKV28.
The evacuation shelter at the Lake County Fairgrounds, located at 401 Martin St. in Lakeport, was still open as well.
Cal Fire announced a community meeting taking place at 6 p.m. Sunday at Running Creek Casino, 635 CA-20 in Upper Lake, to provide updates on the status of the fire and address questions from residents.
Residents can attend live or via YouTube livesteam. A video recording will be available after the meeting’s conclusion, Wise said.
You can reach Staff Writer Kyle Garcia Takata at [email protected].
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