A wildfire in Inyo and Mono counties spurred evacuations Sunday evening as it spread rapidly amid strong winds and low humidity.
The vegetation fire was reported at 2:11 p.m. at Highway 6 and Silver Canyon Road north of Bishop, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire jumped the highway and was threatening “multiple structures,” Cal Fire BDU said in a post on X at about 4 p.m. “Aircraft, heavy equipment and additional engines requested.”
The blaze had burned at least 1,000 acres as of 7:50 p.m., according to Cal Fire. More than 200 personnel were fighting the fire, which was at 0% containment Sunday night. The fire was moving at a “rapid rate of speed” to the east and northeast, according to the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.
Strong winds and dry conditions were hindering the firefight from the air. Several firefighting aircraft were grounded at Bishop’s airport due to “extreme turbulence,” according to Cal Fire BDU.
The weather service reported wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph with relative humidity at about 10%. A high-wind warning is set to go into effect from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, with the National Weather Service forecasting gusts up to 65 mph.
Mandatory evacuations were in place for portions of northern Inyo and southeastern Mono counties, including Laws in Inyo County, Chalfant in Mono County and the White Mountains Wilderness Area. Roughly 30 miles of U.S. Highway 6 was closed.
An evacuation center was established at the Benton Community Center, 58869 Highway 120 in Benton, according to the California Highway Patrol.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
