Fire crews assisted by helicopters and air tankers are battling a wildfire that has burned about 6,700 acres of sagebrush and juniper three miles south of the northeast California community of Likely.
According to BLM Public Affairs Officer Jeff Fontana, the Likely Fire is burning east of U. S. Highway 395 in the Bureau of Land Management’s Tule Mountain Wilderness Study Area. It has forced evacuations of campers at West Valley Reservoir, and is threatening 18 homes, two commercial properties and five outbuildings. No structures have been damaged or destroyed.
Three members of an inmate firefighting crew suffered burn injuries yesterday. They were treated and released at a local hospital.
Officials at the Susanville Interagency Fire Center said about 170 personnel are fighting the fire which is 20 percent contained by firelines. Crews will attack the fire aggressively with helicopters and air tankers today and will continue using bulldozers and ground crews to build a fireline around the blaze. More resources are arriving today.
Officials estimate full containment on Saturday, Sept. 8.
The fire broke out Wednesday, Sept. 5th, when a fire in a motorhome on Highway 395 spread onto the highway shoulder and into the brush and trees.
