Bridge Fire forces evacuations in Placer County

Bridge Fire threatens communities in Sierra Foothills

The Bridge Fire near Auburn has burned 411 acres in Placer County and is 15% contained as of Monday. The fire started a day earlier and Cal Fire resources had to reposition from the ongoing Caldor Fire to minimize the impact of the new fire.

AUBURN, Calif. - The Bridge Fire has burned 411 acres in Placer County and is 15% contained Monday afternoon.

It broke out Sunday around 12:50 in the afternoon. The fire started underneath the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn. The cause is unknown.

Cal Fire officials said this has the potential to be another major fire. Their priority Sunday was to use all the resources they could to get it under control during the initial attack.

That meant moving resources from the ongoing Caldor Fire to the new fire in order to minimize damage.

Cal Fire Unit Chief Brian Estes said, "When it comes to the critical resources like aircraft, helicopters, and initial attack resources new fires always take precedence. Because we don’t want another large fire."

Officials say this area is extremely high risk – because of the elevation, the wind conditions, and the amount of dry fuel.

"What we’re trying to do is contain the fire at Foresthill Road and Old Foresthill Road and keep it from progressing any further to the east," said Estes. "We’ve had a tremendous commitment of air resources and ground resources."

Winds pushed the fire – creating smaller spot fires on both sides of Foresthill Road.

Several hundred were evacuated from Lake Clementine and the Auburn State Recreation Area.