People living in a rural subdivision 50 miles northeast of Sacramento were evacuated Tuesday as firefighters braved triple-digit temperatures to battle a wildfire that climbed out of a steep canyon along the middle fork of the American River.
Placer County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Dena Erwin said homes near Todd Valley between the cities of Foresthill and Auburn were evacuated as a 20-acre fire quickly grew to 300 acres.
Erwin did not know how many homes were affected, but said the fire was approaching a subdivision with large lots and a scattered population.
The fire began Tuesday afternoon in El Dorado County before jumping the river and climbing out of the canyon and into neighboring Placer County.
Firefighters on the ground and in the air were working in 101-degree heat against the fire in a remote, rugged area that is difficult to access, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Lynnette Round.
“It’s in some really steep terrain. We have air and ground units out there working really, really aggressively to put this fire out,” Round said.
Sacramento television station KCRA-TV reported a drone spotted over a section of the fire grounded aircraft in the area for about an hour as the Placer County Sheriff’s Office worked to find the owner. Air attacks resumed Tuesday evening with a D-10 Airtanker making drops over the flames.
No injuries or structure damage had been reported by Tuesday night.
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