Update as of 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9: The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday afternoon that evacuation zones have been downgraded back to normal status.

Only the footprint of the Bear Fire remains under evacuation orders.

The sheriff’s office is asking the public to stay out of the fire area to allow crews to continue their work of fireline restoration using heave equipment.

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Update as of 7 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9: Containment of the Bear Fire in Sierra County has increased to 45% Monday morning, Sept. 9. Burned acreage remains at 3,325.

Personnel on the fire has dropped to 516.

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Update as of 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8: The Bear Fire remains at 3,325 acres while containment increases to 32% as of Sunday morning.

Personnel assigned to the fire has dropped to 696.

Update as of 7 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7: According to the U.S. Forest Service-Tahoe National Forest’s Facebook page, the Bear Fire containment has increased to 23%.

913 personnel are working on the fire.

Update as of 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6: Operations Section Chief, Jake Akerberg, with California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 for the Bear Fire said crews have contained the line closet to Sierra Brooks.

“Which for us means it’s highly improbable that the fire could escape there.” The chief says crews have mopped in more than 100 feet there.

“You still may see some flames and smoke up there, but we have 24-hour staffing right now, so if you have concerns out of the area of Sierra Brooks, we are staffed 24 hours and we have people on the line at all times.”

Update at 9:14 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6: The U.S. Forest Service Tahoe National Forest reports the Bear Fire at 3,325 acres and 15% contained as of Friday morning.

The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office began repopulating the Sierra Brooks community yesterday afternoon. Five zones are still under evacuation orders and others under evacuation warnings.

The Forest Service has closed a portion of the Tahoe National Forest near the fire.

There are 881 personnel assigned to the fire.

“We’re committed to ensuring the safety of both you and our firefighters,” the Forest Service said in their update, “while managing the fire to safeguard your forests, communities, and natural areas.”

Yesterday, weather conditions improved according to the Forest Service, which allowed fire crews to continue to secure mop up and buffer the fire zone. Teams also hiked in and laid hose where safe while receiving support from aviation.

Crews were able to improve direct lines and hose lays overnight due to the fire remaining its current footprint. Aircraft continued to assist during the evening.

The service is focusing today’s efforts on continuing to strengthen the existing line and scout for new ones. This is in an effort to reduce the fire’s impact on local communities and prepare for incoming weather.

They are expecting breezy patterns throughout the area for the next several days with wind from south/southeast, but don’t expect winds to reach critical conditions. As tempertures continue to warm, the service says there is a 5% chance of thunderstorms east of the fire today, followed by soutwest winds this weekend.

“Crews will continue the mopping-up process, which involves extinguishing any remaining hot spots near control lines, removing hazardous burned trees, and assessing logs to prevent them from rolling and causing additional fires or smoke,” according to the Forest Service update.

In protection efforts, crews have worked to protect the Lewis Mill Fire Station historical building by wrapping the building and placing sprinklers.

Update at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5: According to an update on the U.S. Forest Service Tahoe National Forest Facebook page, the Bear Fire is still at 3,327 acres and 0% contained.

“Our main goal on the Bear Fire is to protect the public with care and dedication. We’re committed to ensuring the safety of both you and our firefighters while managing the fire to safeguard your forests, communities, and natural areas,” the post states.

Yesterday, improved weather conditions allowed fire crews to set up anchor points in areas where the terrain and fuel conditions were favorable. This enabled them to go direct when safe, with continuous support from aviation throughout the day.

Crews successfully contained the fire at Bear Valley Road and used this position to build a direct line to Turner Canyon Road. Crews worked diligently around the Smithneck Creek State Wildlife Area, establishing a direct line south to the Calvin Powers Memorial Grove. South of the Memorial Grove, crews utilized a dozer line to continue going direct and establish line.

Overnight, crews focused on improving the direct lines and hose setups made during the day. Aircraft continued to assist with water drops throughout the evening.

Today’s efforts will be on strengthening the existing lines and creating new ones to reduce the fire’s impact on local communities. Crews are also beginning the mopping-up process, which involves extinguishing any remaining hot spots near control lines, removing dangerous burned trees, and handling logs to prevent them from rolling and causing additional fires or smoke, the post states.

Update at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5: The Bear Fire has reached 3,327 acres and is 0% contained. There are 465 personnel assigned to the fire, according to a Facebook update from the U.S. Forest Service.

A community meeting will be held today at 7 p.m. at the Sierraville Elementary School. The meeting will also be livestreamed Tahoe National Forest’s Facebook page.

According to an update from Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m., the combination of warming temperatures, dry fuel conditions and strong winds intensified the fire’s behavior on Tuesday. West winds picked up, resulting in active fire behavior starting at 1 p.m.

“Active fire remains along much of the fire perimeter, with short-range spotting challenging suppression efforts. Significant fire impacted and crossed Smithneck Road with spread to the east,” the update states.

Fire crews actively engaged to establish containment lines, while significant aviation resources delivered retardant and water drops. Due to steep and rocky terrain, crews have experienced difficulty in gaining access to some areas of the fire, slowing progress. Significant dead and down fuels have served as a catalyst for rapid fire spread in brush and timber.

Update at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4: The Bear Fire has grown to 3,000 acres and is still 0% contained, according to an update from the U.S. Forest Service.

Update at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3: The Bear Fire in Sierra County has grown to 1,578 acres and is still 0% contained.

The Tahoe National Forest division of the U.S. Forest Service says the combination of warming temperatures, dry fuel conditions and strong winds has intensified the fire’s behavior.

“Fire crews are working tirelessly to establish containment lines, while aviation resources are actively engaged in delivering retardant and water drops,” the service’s announcement reads.

Due to the increased fire activity, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office has expanded evacuation warnings to include zones SIE-E058 and SIE-E059. For detailed evacuation zone information, please visit protect.genasys.com/search.

The cause is still under investigation.

Original Story: SIERRA COUNTY, Calif. – A fire north of Lake Tahoe, near Loyalton, Calif. in Sierra County, has spread to 1,391 acres overnight since it was reported at 2 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2. The fire is 0% contained.

The U.S. Forest Service-Tahoe National Forest says a Red Flag Warning that was in effect over the area through 8 p.m. on Sept. 2, has made fire fighting efforts challenging. The agency reports dry and windy conditions has caused the fire to exhibit a rapid rate of spread with spotting up to a quarter of a mile ahead of the fire.

“Fire activity moderated overnight due to cooler temperatures and decreased winds,” the service’s morning update read.

The fire was initially reported off Bear Valley Road on Tahoe National Forest, south of a community called Sierra Brooks. Responding agencies’ are focused on protecting the 286 structures in that community with significant structure defense resources working to triage and defend the structures. It’s also responding agencies’ goal to keep the fire north of Lewis Mill, south of the community of Sierra Brooks, east of Antelope Valley and west of Bald Mountain Range.

Significant air and ground resources were deployed immediately to the fire. Full suppression efforts are underway. Steep and rocky terrain and limited road access has crews still working on gaining access to some areas of the fire.

Mandatory evacuations are in place for Sierra Brooks. Evacuation warnings are in place for other zones. Those zone are provided on the Forest Service’s website as well as Cal Fire’s website.

The Tahoe National Forest Service, Cal Fire and Sierra County Sheriff’s Office have formed a unified command.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and under investigation.

The Tribune will provide updates at they become available.