Lucas Fire Reaches 1,000 Acres Along Mendocino-Lake County Line as Evacuations Are Ordered

Firefighters spent Thursday night working to establish perimeter control of the Lucas Fire after it grew to more than 1,000 acres across Mendocino and Lake counties, fed by dry conditions and a spell of higher winds.

By early Friday morning, scanner traffic indicated that the fire's behavior had calmed, but fire fighters worried that conditions could change, causing the fire to flare again.

On Thursday, evacuation orders were issued in Lake County, while evacuation warnings covered parts of both Lake and Mendocino counties. The Lake County Fairgrounds' Baldwin Pavilion, at 401 Martin St. in Lakeport, served as a temporary evacuation point and sheltered evacuated animals.

The fire began Thursday at 9:18 a.m., according to CAL FIRE. It grew to 10 acres within 90 minutes. By about 2:55 p.m. it had reached 40 acres, and by 4 p.m. it covered 400 acres. Winds near the fire rose through the day, from about 4 mph at 9 a.m. to 9 mph at 1 p.m. and 12 mph at 2 p.m., according to the Elk Mountain (Howard Mill) fire-weather station.

The Upper Lake Unified School District announced Thursday evening that it would close its schools "out of an abundance of caution." By then the fire had grown to more than 1,000 acres.

Evacuation orders cover these zones in Lake County: MNF-E016, MNF-E018, MNF-E019, UPP-E023, UPP-E025, UPP-E026, UPP-E027, and UPP-E030.

Evacuation warnings cover MNF-E017, MNF-E021, UPP-E028, UPP-E031, UPP-E032, UPP-E035, and UPP-E038 in Lake County, and MEN-2POT08 and MEN-2UKV28 in the Potter Valley area of Mendocino County.