By Jane Braxton Little
Bee Correspondent
QUINCY - A wildfire that started in the Feather River Canyon July 29 has grown to nearly 15,000 acres while a second lightning-sparked fire has burned over 3,000 acres near Eagleville in Modoc County.
The Chips fire, which is burning in heavy brush and timber near Chips and Indian creeks, is moving north and east toward Soda Creek in northwestern Plumas County, said Alissa Tanner, a fire information officer.
A 300-acre spot fire jumped the north fork of the Feather River, causing the closure of Caribou Road from Highway 70 to Butt Lake. Numerous campgrounds along the north fork and at Butt Lake are closed, Tanner said.
Residents of Belden, Maggie's Trailer Park and Little Haven are under a precautionary evacuation notice, with voluntary evacuations issued in the Rush Creek area.
Traffic through the Feather River Canyon is subject to controls depending on the fire behavior, said Tanner.
The fire was human caused but U.S. Forest Service officials are investigating the precise circumstances of the start near the Pacific Crest Trail.
They will hold a public information meeting at 6 p.m. today at the Veterans' Hall in Quincy, a continuation of community meetings held around the area since last week.
Fire fighters do not expect to contain the Chips fire until Aug. 21, Tanner said.
The Lost fire, burning in northeastern California near the state line with Nevada, is consuming tall grass, sagebrush, juniper and mountain mahogany, including habitat for greater sage grouse.
It was reported Sunday afternoon and grew quickly, said Jeff Fontana, a public information officer with the federal Bureau of Land Management.
He had no estimate of when the Lost fire will be contained.
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