Evacuation warnings were issued as two separate vegetation fires merged into a single, fast-growing wildfire early Wednesday in Northern California. The blaze, dubbed the Mile Post 16 Fire, began around 1:30 a.m. near Mile Post 16 on Highway 96.
By Wednesday evening, the fire had consumed approximately 50 acres and remained 0% contained. It was burning north of Mill Creek Road, south of Norton Creek, east of Norton Creek Road, and west of Highway 96, in proximity to the Hoopa Valley Reservation.
Firefighting efforts are being significantly hindered by the rugged landscape, with slopes ranging from 75% to 100%. Fire officials noted that the steep terrain, rock outcroppings, and limited access make suppression efforts particularly dangerous, requiring a prioritization of safety during strategy implementation.
In response to the growing wildfire, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation warnings. The Hoopa Valley Airport has been closed to the public and is being utilized as an air operations base for firefighting aircraft. Highway 96 has also been temporarily closed from Carpenter Lane in Hoopa to north of the Sidehill Viaduct to facilitate containment operations.
Additional resources have been requested and mobilized, including personnel from Hoopa Wildland Fire, the U.S. Forest Service Lower Trinity Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service Division 3, and Yurok Wildland Fire. Air resources, additional engines, and hand crews have also been deployed.
Wildfires are a recurring challenge in Humboldt County, where steep terrain, dense forests, and dry conditions can exacerbate small ignitions into major blazes. In 2023, lightning-sparked fires in the Six Rivers National Forest burned over 50,000 acres, and the 2020 August Complex Fire impacted more than 1 million acres across seven Northern California counties. This incident follows a smaller brush fire that scorched about 4 acres near the Nixon Fishing Hole in Hoopa just one week prior.