Evacuations lifted, Interstate 80 reopened after new grass fire ignites in Placer County
A new fire broke out Tuesday afternoon near the Placer County town of Dutch Flat, authorities said, prompting evacuations and shutting down a 27-mile stretch of Interstate 80 for several hours in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in the area of Ridge Road, Frost Hill Place and Murray Ranch Road, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in social media posts just before 2 p.m.
Cal Fire reported the Dutch Fire at 30 acres and 30% contained as of 7 p.m. Tuesday. Evacuation orders and warnings were lifted at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Placer County evacuation map.
Eastbound I-80 is closed at Colfax, Caltrans said at 3:15 p.m., expanding an eastbound closure at Gold Run Road. Westbound I-80 is closed at the junction with Highway 20, Caltrans said, with traffic being diverted onto Highway 20 in Nevada County as a detour.
About 4:30 p.m., Caltrans reported that Cal Fire firefighters had performed controlled burns in the area to keep flames from spreading further. Just after 6 p.m., Caltrans reported that both directions of I-80 had reopened.
Cameras with the AlertWildfire Network showed a plume of smoke burning in hilly terrain beginning shortly after 1 p.m.
Dutch Flat, a town of about 150 to 200 people, is roughly 10 miles northeast of Foresthill, just north of I-80. Caltrans as of 1:40 p.m. had westbound I-80 reduced to one lane at Ridge Road due to the fire.
Retardant drops were visible just after 1:30 p.m., and the smoke column appeared to be growing and darkening as of 1:40 p.m., AlertWildfire cameras showed.
More than 11,000 remain under mandatory evacuations due to the Mosquito Fire burning in Placer and El Dorado counties, near Foresthill.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Evacuations lifted, Interstate 80 reopened after new grass fire ignites in Placer County."
