A Wildfire that erupted in California’s Eastern Sierra region over the weekend quickly spread to nearly 1,600 acres by Monday night, prompting evacuations in multiple counties.
The Silver Fire ignited at 2:11 p.m. local time Sunday in Inyo County near Highway 6 and Silver Canyon Road, north of Bishop, near the state border with Nevada, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, said.
Despite progress Monday that includes 47% containment, evacuation orders remained in place for multiple communities, including the Laws in Inyo County, Chalfant in Mono County and the White Mountain Estates neighborhoods, Cal Fire said.
“Firefighters have successfully stopped the forward spread,” Cal Fire said a a statement Monday evening. “Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place as threats persist to structures, critical infrastructure, endangered species, watersheds, and cultural and heritage resources.”
A 30-mile stretch of Highway 6 was closed due to the fire but reopened Monday morning, the California Highway Patrol said.
Firefighters had their hands full on Sunday, when the inferno quickly grew to 1,000 acres, with zero percent containment, according to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos of the blaze by Cal Fire showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from orange flames consuming dry, yellowed brush.
Strong winds and gusts fueled the fire, which “created hazardous conditions, grounding some firefighting aircraft and complicating containment efforts,” according to Cal Fire.
Forceful winds continued into the late morning Monday, when a day-topping gust of 46 mph was recorded at Bishop Airport, according to National Weather Service data.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation, and an evacuation center was set up at Bishop Senior Center in Bishop.
