A wildfire in Inyo and Mono counties spurred evacuations Sunday evening as it spread rapidly amid strong winds and low humidity.
The vegetation fire was reported at 2:11 p.m. at Highway 6 and Silver Canyon Road north of Bishop, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire jumped the highway and was threatening “multiple structures,” Cal Fire BDU said in a post on X at about 4 p.m. “Aircraft, Heavy Equipement and additional engines requested.”
The blaze had burned at least 1,000 acres as of 7:50 p.m., according to Cal Fire. The fire was moving at a “rapid rate of speed” to the east and northeast, according to the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.
Strong winds and dry conditions were hindering the firefight from the air. Several aircraft were grounded due to “extreme turbulence,” according to Cal Fire BDU.
The weather service reported wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph with relative humidity at about 10%.
As of about 5:30 p.m., mandatory evacuations were in place for portions of northern Inyo and southeastern Mono counties including the White Mountains Wilderness Area. Highway 6 was closed.
An evacuation center was established at the Benton Community Center, 58869 Highway 120 in Benton, according to the California Highway Patrol.
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