Firefighters have halted forward progress on a wildfire that sparked Saturday afternoon near Dutch Flat and prompted mandatory evacuations in two Northern California counties.
The Dutch Fire sparked about 3:30 p.m. along Lowell Hill Road near the Dutch Flat Forebay’s dam in Nevada County and burned at least 45 acres near the border with Placer County, according to Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit.
The fire had blazed along heavy timber and steep terrain at a dangerous rate of spread before more than 100 personnel were able to stop forward progress. On Sunday morning, firefighters had gained 15% containment and evacuations had eased to warnings in both Placer and Nevada counties.
“Cal Fire/Placer County Fire Department and multiple fire agencies from the surrounding area are battling the Dutch Fire in … Unified Command,” firefighters said as night-flying helicopters aided the efforts.
“The heavily wooded area, steep terrain and remote location are making it challenging to contain the fire,” Cal Fire NEU officials said.