El Dorado County officials on Wednesday lifted evacuation orders for a vegetation fire that forced evacuations and burned multiple vehicles, allowing residents to return home.
The Bonanza Fire started around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday in the 5200 block of Bonanza Auto Road near Old French Town Road in the Shingle Springs area, Cal Fire said. When the fire first sparked, large flames could be seen dangerously close to structures. Several aircraft were also seen dropping retardant to try to slow the fire's advance.
On Wednesday morning, reporter Melanie Wingo returned to the same scene and did not observe the same activity, and fire could not be seen from her vantage point. A burn scar can be seen on a hillside where the fire was burning Tuesday.
Ben Strahan, a firefighter with the Eldorado Hotshots, noted that crews were able to make a lot of progress overnight in controlling the fire.
"It's a very good indication of what we could be expecting," Strahan said when asked if the Bonanza Fire is a preview of what to expect as heavier vegetation is starting to burn. "This time of year, things are transitioning, and the brush burned. And it burned well."
Bonanza Fire acreage, containment
As of 6:21 a.m. Wednesday, the fire had burned at least 181 acres, the same acreage Cal Fire reported at 9 p.m. Tuesday. That indicates that the fire has likely not burned any additional acres.
At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Cal Fire reported stopping forward progress of the fire, which means crews have stopped the main portion of the fire from continuing to spread. Hotspots that require mopping up may linger even after forward progress is stopped.
Cal Fire said containment has also increased to 15%, up from 10% reported Tuesday evening. Containment itself does not gauge how much of a fire has been extinguished. It instead refers to a barrier, whether it be natural or manmade, that helps prevent a wildfire from spreading.
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Firefighters on Wednesday plan to continue monitoring hotspots, strengthening control lines and mopping up, Cal Fire said.
Livecopter 3 was over the scene and showed several vehicles destroyed in the fire.
Reporter Peyton Headlee was on Kingvale Road at Wildcrest Drive, where flames were spreading over a hillside, inching closer to several residences.
Meteorologist Heather Waldman noted that there is little wind in the area. Rather, the fire has been driven by the terrain.
As of Wednesday, there is no known cause for the fire.
Bonanza Fire evacuations
Evacuations were ordered in areas near the fire, including the areas of Logtown and Nashville. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said a temporary evacuation point was set up at the Placerville Library; however, it is not an overnight shelter.
Under an evacuation order, residents are lawfully required to evacuate immediately due to an imminent threat.
As of 10 a.m., all evacuation orders were lifted.
Thousands of nearby Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers lost power, but those outages have since been restored.
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