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Fire crews are jumping on a window of calm weather Tuesday morning to make progress on the Elephant Fire, which is burning in the northern Sierra Nevada near Loyalton.
The fire has scorched more than 12,300 acres, officials reported Monday evening, double what was reported earlier that day. Chris Buckley, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, said that infrared mapping was completed Monday from the air, giving firefighters a more accurate picture of the size of the fire and the ground it has covered.
Dry grasses and sagebrush are fueling the explosive growth of the fire through remote, rugged and rocky terrain, Buckley said.
The Elephant Fire is now the second-largest fire in California this year, according to Cal Fire, behind the Santa Rosa Island Fire that broke out in May on one of the Channel Islands west of Ventura.
Fortunately, the weather has been working in firefighters' favor. Starting Monday evening, thunderstorms passed through the region, delivering rain and cooler temperatures.
"It rained heavily here for hours," Buckley said. "We got a lot of rain, and it's still overcast today."
Lightning on Monday night started a small fire in the nearby Beckwourth Ranger District in the Plumas National Forest, close to the Nakoma Resort. Named the Clouds Fire, a fast response contained the flames to a half-acre.
Buckley said there were no new lightning-caused starts on the Elephant Fire.
The cause of the Elephant Fire remains under investigation.
Fire crews are taking advantage of the moisture in the air and the calm winds to secure fire lines and increase containment. About 530 personnel were working the Elephant Fire on Tuesday.
The fire is still just 5% contained as of Tuesday morning. But officials hope that number will increase soon.
"The hope is we'll have better containment numbers by the end of the day," Buckley said.
Sheriff's deputies in Lassen County downgraded an evacuation order to a warning, while also lifting warnings for the area, the department said on Facebook on Monday night. The Plumas County Sheriff's Office also lifted its evacuation warnings.
Meanwhile, the Forest Service announced a closure of certain roads and trails within the Sierraville Ranger District in the Tahoe National Forest and the Carson Ranger District in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
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