Redwood Empire News

Monday evening, a lightning strike ignited the Hill Fire, which continues to burn south of Willow Creek in the Mosquito Creek Drainage.

Due to the Hill Fire, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has issued an Evacuation Order for Zone HUM-E077-A. Residents already evacuated from this zone are not permitted to return. Any residents remaining should evacuate immediately.

Positive developments in fire behavior and the hard work of firefighters have led to the downgrading of the Evacuation Order for Zone HUM-E077-C to an evacuation warning. Residents in this zone may now return home cautiously but should be prepared to evacuate again at a moment’s notice. This area was previously part of HUM-E077-A and has been split into a new zone for more efficient notification.

An Evacuation Warning remains in place for two other zones: HUM-E077-B and HUM-E076-A. Residents should remain ready to evacuate if conditions worsen. Preparations should include gathering personal supplies and arranging overnight accommodations.

Road closures are currently in place on Friday Ridge Rd. at Forest Service Route 6N06, Friday Ridge Rd. at Forest Route 5N01, and Friday Ridge Rd. at Forest Route 5N04. For updated road closure information, visit protect.genasys.com or humboldtsheriff.org/emergency.

Redwood Acres in Eureka has been activated as a CalFire Incident Management Base Camp in response to area wildfires and is closed to the public with all events canceled for at least two weeks. Increased traffic from vehicles responding to the fires is expected, and Humboldt County Public Works has closed Harris St. at Hubbard Ln. and Hall Ave. at Myrtle Ave., effective for at least two weeks.

To ensure safety, the U.S. Forest Service is temporarily closing all roads, trails, and land within the area impacted by the Hill Fire on the Lower Trinity Ranger District of Six Rivers National Forest starting Thursday, July 18, 2024. This includes East Fork Campground and Big Rock River Access.

Community members needing evacuation information or with questions related to the Hill Fire can call 530-414-9056 but are advised not to call 911 unless experiencing an immediate emergency.

Humboldt County residents are encouraged to know their evacuation zones, which can be found at protect.genasys.com.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services has established an Agricultural Area Access Pass program allowing qualifying agricultural producers emergency entry to evacuation zones or restricted areas for essential care of livestock and crops. Pre-registration is required before incidents occur as last-minute applications cannot be accommodated during emergencies.

Residents are also encouraged to sign up for Humboldt Alert for local emergency notifications regarding evacuations and sheltering during wildfires or other emergencies by visiting humboldtgov.org/alert.

For more information about the Hill Fire's current impact and evacuation areas, visit humboldtsheriff.org/emergency, @HumCoOES on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), or call 707-268-2500.

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