Firefighters make gains containing the Ridge Fire in Lake and Colusa counties

Firefighters have reported making good progress containing the Ridge Fire, which has burned thousands of acres in Lake and Colusa counties since erupting Saturday afternoon.

The fire — burning at the eastern edge of Lake County and into Colusa County — is at 2,756 acres as of Tuesday evening and is 35% contained, up from 25% on Monday morning, said Cal Fire spokesperson Will Powers.

The blaze, which sparked to life in Remington Canyon, grew quickly Saturday, but since late Sunday has been largely kept in check, even amid scorching heat.

Tuesday saw temperatures in the area of the fire ranging from 98 degrees to 104 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, but stiffer winds that had been forecast did not materialize, aiding the firefighting effort, Powers said.

“There’s been little to no spread over the last 24 hours,” he said.

Containment lines continue to be built around the fire, he said, and “due to the progress crews have made over the last 48 hours, the outlook is good for keeping the fire in those lines.”

No structures have been reported burned. About 50 structures ― 30 in Lake County and 20 in Colusa County ― are still threatened, Powers said. About 10 of those are in Wilbur Hot Springs, which was evacuated Saturday and where firefighters fought hard and created buffer zones to protect the area Saturday night.

Evacuation orders remain in effect in the area of Bear Valley Road to Highway 20 and on Wilbur Springs Road and Walker Ridge Road, said Powers.

About 800 firefighting personnel are currently on the fire, with nine helicopters, 46 fire engines, eight bulldozers, 13 water tenders and 17 hand crews engaged in the effort, he said.

In 2015, the Rocky Fire burned close to 70,000 acres just southwest of the current blaze, an area now thinned of oak and characterized by a lot of grass and brush.

Weather over the next few days should be friendly to the firefighting effort, the weather service said, with temperatures cooling every day by a few degrees until they reach mid-80s to low 90s Friday.

While afternoons will see normal gusty winds, “we’re not going to see any big wind event,” said meteorologist Dalton Behringer with the weather service’s Monterey office.

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 707-387-2960 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @jeremyhay