Containment up to 40% on Mill Fire; Mountain Fire grows to over 10,000 acres

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Crews continued to make good progress on the Mill Fire in Siskiyou County as containment jumped to 40% overnight, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Monday.

The fire grew by less than 10 acres and now stands 4,263 acres.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office reported Sunday that a 66-year-old woman and a 73-year-old woman have died in the Mill Fire. Authorities have not released the names of the victims.

Cal Fire officials said the Mill Fire is not anticipated to spread, and authorities continue to work to lift evacuations. There are still 559 people evacuated due to the fire.

In contrast, the Mountain Fire, also burning in Siskiyou County, grew by 60% since Sunday morning, Cal Fire said.

The Mountain Fire was 10,338 acres Monday morning and 10% contained, up from 5% the previous day. That fire is burning in a more remote location, west of Interstate 5 and about 9 miles southwest of the community of Gazelle.

“There was active fire behavior overnight on the Mountain Fire. The weather remains very dry over the burn area, as a warming trend moves in,” Cal Fire said in its incident update.

“The fire is burning in steep, broken terrain in different types of vegetation. All fuels are at or approaching critical levels for dryness.”

No structures had been destroyed, but nearly 700 structures are threatened by the Mountain Fire, Cal Fire said.

There are about 330 people under evacuation orders due to the Mountain Fire.

Meanwhile, the Mill Fire has destroyed 106 structures and 411 remained threatened.

Three people were injured in the fire.

Highway 97 from Weed to MacDoel had been closed due to the Mill Fire, but the route was open again as of Sunday.

While the Weed mayor said the Mill Fire started at the Roseburg Forest Products Mill in Weed, Cal Fire said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Siskiyou County on Monday. Temperatures will reach the mid-90s, and they are expected to hit triple digits by Tuesday.

The advisory is scheduled to expire at 11 p.m. Wednesday.

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 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.