Appliance Repair in Tollhouse, CA

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As of Monday morning, the House Fire west of Redding remained 85% contained.

The Shasta-Trinity Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported the fire was holding at 60 acres.

The fire started Wednesday, Aug. 4 off Highway 299 and Tollhouse Road near Shasta State Historic Park in Shasta.

7 p.m. Friday: Containment on fire at 55%

Containment of the House Fire increased to 55% on Friday, according to a post from the Shasta-Trinity Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Cal Fire updated the acreage to 60 acres, up from 40 acres, "due to more accurate mapping."

The fire was first reported to be south of Highway 299 at Tollhouse Road, about 5 miles west of Redding, on Wednesday around noon.

2:15 p.m. Thursday: Forward progress on fire stopped

Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of the House Fire west of Redding and have containment line all the way around the fire, according to Shasta County Fire Chief Bret Gouvea.

The fire was stopped at 40 acres, he said. Even though there was a line all the way around the fire, Cal Fire was still calling it 35% contained Thursday because there were still numerous hot spots witihin the fire's perimeter, Gouvea said.

Eastern portions of Whiskeytown Recreation Area had been under evacuation Wednesday, but most of those were lifted by Thursday, said Josh Hoines, superintendent at Whiskeytown.

Everything in the area was back open, except East Beach of John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive, Hoines said. It is likely the beach would be reopened later Thursday, he said.

5 p.m. Wednesday: Fire grows to 35 acres

The House Fire in Shasta County has grown to 35 acres with 20% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The vegetation fire is burning south of Highway 299 and Tollhouse Road, about 5 miles west of Redding. It was first reported around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

2:30 p.m. Wednesday: Fire prompts evacuations

The east side of the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is being evacuated due to the House Fire, the park posted on its Facebook page.

"This includes the Visitor Center, Park Headquarters, East Beach, Kennedy Memorial, Clair A. Hill Whiskeytown Dam, and all roads and facilities near these areas," park officials said.

"Please leave the east side of the park immediately if you are within it. We will have more information as this situation evolves."

2:10 p.m. Wednesday: Fire 15% contained

The House Fire burning south of Highway 299 and Tollhouse Road west of Redding has grown to 25 acres, Cal Fire said. The fire is 15% contained, according to the agency's website.

Original story

Crews are responding to a vegetation fire west of Redding that has grown to about 15 acres.

The fire was reported in the area of Rock Creek Road between Shasta State Historic Park and Whiskeytown Lake off Highway 299 around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Winds are blowing toward the northeast and away from Redding, according to the Whiskeytown headquarters weather station.

Check back for updates as this is a developing story.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-225-8219. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

Forest Service commanders Wednesday ordered 100 more fire personnel into the battle against the Blue Fire burning south of Shaver Lake, in a “full suppression response.”

The fire, which erupted Tuesday afternoon, forced evacuations for residents along Road 10S02, (Peterson Mill) to Nutmeg Saddle. That includes Bretz Mill Camp. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office released an online live fire map Wednesday morning, where residents in the area can find the latest evacuation orders and warnings.

The Blue Fire has burned about 400 acres as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and was 10% contained, according to the National Forest Service. At 2 p.m., the fire remained at 400 acres and containment was up to 25%. The blaze was burning in a northwest direction, toward a ridge line at Soaproot Saddle and an area burned by the 2020 Creek Fire, the largest single fire event in California history.

Shaver Lake is not under threat, because of the distance and location of the fire, said Alex Olow, with the National Forest Service incident command. Two structures are under threat, Olow said.

Additional crews have been requested, including three strike teams, with engines, three type 1 hand crews and an additional helicopter.

The fire is burning in timber and short grass and officials are hopeful that a fire break created by forest workers will aid in slowing the fire’s progress. Crews on Wednesday will continue to build fire lines with bulldozers and hand crews, with air support.

Cal Fire is assisting the forest service in the battle.

The fire was being closely watched after the devastating Creek Fire.

Said Assemblyman Jim Patterson on Tuesday night: “It will be a long night for our friends and families living near Blue Canyon. Please keep them, and all the fire crews working to stop this fire, in your prayers tonight.”

The Central California Animal Disaster Team has a toll-free hotline number for people who need information on moving animals, shelter-in-place animal care assistance and emergency animal shelters at 866-333-3822. Officials said they encourage text messages to that number.

For people who want to volunteer or donate for animal services, call the disaster team at 888-402-2238.

This story was originally published June 30, 2021 6:55 AM.

Updated August 10.

Fire season was ramping up in California again, as fires of various sizes burned across the state.

As of July 2021, the number of fires was outpacing averages of past fire seasons. This was due to a number of reasons, including dry conditions, high winds and record-setting temperatures.

In an effort to prevent fires, several utility companies, including Pacific Gas & Electric, said they would spend about $13 billion in wildfire prevention. PG&E's plan would cover 2021 and 2022, and includes a computerized risk model that would pinpoint the areas most prone to wildfires. From there, PG&E could concentrate safety work in those areas.

California’s 2020 fire siege:Wildfires by the numbers

Below is a map of fires that are currently burning in California from the wildfire tracking website InciWeb, operated by the U.S. Forest Service.

Nelson Fire

The fire was burning near Nelson Creek Rd and Summit Lake Rd in Shasta County.

River Fire

The fire was burning near Milk Ranch Road and Bear River Campground Road, north of Applegate in Nevada and Placer counties.

House Fire

The fire was burning near Highway 299 and Tollhouse Road, West of Redding, Calif. in Shasta County.

Antelope Fire

The fire was burning near the Antelope Creek drainage.

Monument Fire

The Monument Fire was burning 1 mile south of Del Lomo in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

River Complex Fire

The River Complex is a group of fires within the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest.

McFarland Fire

The fire was burning southwest of Redding and Anderson, Calif. in Trinity County.

Dixie Fire

The fire was burning above the Cresta Dam and Feather River Canyon in Butte and Plumas counties.

What we know Wednesday:Dixie Fire now at 274,139 acres; new evacuation warnings issued

Tamarack Fire

The fire was burning near Markleeville, Calif. As of Wednesday, it had crossed the Nevada border south of Gardnerville.

Lava Fire

The fire was burning 3.5 miles northeast of the community of Weed.

Olivia Ali is a digital producer with the USA Today Network. She can be reached at oali@gannett.com or on Twitter @OliviaNAli.

Michelle Ailport and Hailey Rein contributed to this report.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Central Valley's foothill regions are some of the most fire-prone areas in all of California, a new map shows.

The map, created by the ABC Owned Television Stations data journalism team, is based on information released by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

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It shows parts of eastern Fresno, Madera, and Mariposa counties - mainly the Sierra Nevada and foothill communities - colored in orange and red.

The orange parts are designated as 'elevated fire prone areas' and the red parts are 'extreme fire prone areas'.

These areas have an 'elevated hazard for the ignition and rapid spread of powerline fires due to strong winds, abundant dry vegetation, and other environmental conditions,' according to the CPUC's website.

That means on a windy, dry summer day, a spark at the wrong place could start flames that would spread rapidly and might end up destroying lives and property.

The map's red 'extreme fire prone' zone in Central California is where last year's devastating Creek Fire scorched 379,000 acres of land and tore through the Mountain communities, as it became the largest single wildfire in state history.

RELATED: Mountain Strong: Surviving the Creek Fire

More than 45,000 residents in Fresno, Madera, and Mariposa counties were forced to evacuate - and many came back to find their homes completely burned down.

As the map shows, that area is and will remain under extreme risk of another such wildfire breaking out, and causing more incalculable damage.

Already this summer, multiple wildfires in the red and orange zones have prompted evacuation orders and warnings for Madera County and Tulare County residents.

RELATED: Residents in Madera County ordered to evacuate immediately due to Lilly Fire

It's not just Central California that's suffering.

Millions in northern and southern California live in high or extreme fire danger in the red and orange zones.

By April, the state had already seen twice as many wildfires as the same time last year - and that was before California was hit by a record-breaking heatwave and severe drought.

Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $536 million plan that would help the state respond to and recover from wildfires.

RELATED: Newsom announces $536M wildfire prevention plan while visiting Fresno County

"(Wildfire response) should not divide any of us because we're all in this one together," he said.

The map was created by Lindsey Feingold of the ABC Owned Television Stations data journalism team.

CLOVIS — The Sierra National Forest is proposing to charge new fees at developed recreation sites. The Bass Lake Ranger District is proposing a new fee of $20 per night at Jerseydale Campground with a $5 extra vehicle fee over two vehicles. The High Sierra Ranger District is proposing a new fee of $20 per night at Kirch Flat Campground with a $5 extra vehicle fee over two vehicles, and $100 per night at Kirch Flat Group Campground with a $5 extra vehicle fee over 14 vehicles. “We recognize how important the forest is to our local communities and those who visit the forest. These fees are a critical component to the sustainability of the recreation sites and ensuring the community is proud of the amenities provided by the Forest,” stated Dean Gould, Forest Supervisor. If proposed changes are implemented, 54% of the 140 developed recreation sites would remain non-fee.

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) which allows the Forest Service to retain funds collected at certain recreation sites. These additional funds along with ninety-five percent of the revenue from recreation fees remains on the forests to operate, maintain, and improve facilities.

Under REA, all new fees and any fee changes must be proposed and approved by a citizen’s Recreation Resource Advisory Committee. Committee members represent a broad array of recreation interest groups to help ensure that the Forest Service is proposing reasonable and publicly acceptable new fees and fee changes.

The public is invited to comment on the proposed fee changes to the developed recreation program. The comment period is set to end by close of business on March 15, 2022. To ensure that your comments are considered, please send your comments no later than the above date to:

Sierra National Forest Attention: Recreation Fees 1600 Tollhouse Road Clovis, CA 93611

or SM.FS.SierraRecFee@usda.gov.

Oral comments must be provided via phone at the Sierra National Forest to Jody Nickerson Powell during normal business hours (Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) by calling 559-297-0706 and indicating you would like to provide comments on the proposed recreation fee changes, or by using the interactive map link for Sierra National Forest recreation fee proposals.

This link can also be found on the Sierra National Forest’s website under spotlights. For more information on the Sierra National Forest Recreation, visit our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sierra/.

Once public involvement is complete, the proposed fee changes will be reviewed by a Recreation Resource Advisory Committee during their Spring/Summer 2022 meeting, who will submit their recommendation to the Regional Forester for a final decision.