Firefighters Take Immediate Action at Manton Park Fire – Chico Enterprise-Record

TEHAMA COUNTY — Firefighters tried to keep the 348,370-acre Park Fire from reaching Manton as the blaze continued north Saturday.

By the end of the afternoon the fire was 0% under control.

Firefighters worked in cooler temperatures Saturday as 2,484 men and women tried to slow the fire’s progress. During a briefing Saturday morning, firefighters were told the goal was to keep the fire in Tehama County, east of Highway 99, south of Highway 44.

They attacked the Manton fire directly to prevent it from getting past Highway 44 and continuing on its way to Shingletown. Structure protection groups were in the Manton, Paynes Creek, Mineral and Sky Ranch areas.

Cal Fire-Butte County Capt. Dan Collins, a unit public information officer, said in an interview with this newspaper Saturday afternoon that a second management team will be coming to help with the massive Park Fire. The second team will work with the first team in Butte County to create what Collins calls a “super team” to contain the blaze.

That second team was set up at the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff, similar to the management team currently set up at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico. The Chico team will manage the Butte County portion of the fire, while the Red Bluff team will manage the Tehama County portion.

Collins said the fire crossed Highway 36 in the Paynes Creek area on Friday. He said crews have been working to defend structures and build spur lines in that area “in hopes of stopping that fire.”

The fire is burning in northeastern and northwestern Tehama County, he said, adding that emergency measures have already been taken below Los Molinos and in the area from Hog Mountain to Red Bluff.

“So they’re actively watching the fire creep down the hill,” he said. “They’ve got emergency lines (to the west.)”

The area east of Highway 99 is holding up well, Collins said. Firefighters in the northeast portion of the fire are working to connect with Butte County to protect the Butte Meadows and Jonesville areas on the Butte-Tehama County border.

Firefighters have also been directly battling the fire in the Paynes Creek area. During the morning briefing, firefighters were told that they expect Mineral to be affected and that immediate firefighting will be taking place in that area.

In Butte County, where the massive fire started Wednesday, firefighters were told the goal was to contain the fire north of Skyway, east of Highway 99, south of Highway 44 and west of Skyway to Humbug Summit.

During the morning briefing, firefighters were also told to continue using Highway 32 to prevent the fire from threatening Paradise, Magalia and Upper Ridge.

Parks are closing

The fire in the park prompted authorities to close Sacramento River Bend and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

The Bureau of Land Management said Saturday it has temporarily closed public access to roads, trails and recreation facilities on public lands in the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Area north of Red Bluff due to hazards posed by the approaching Park Fire. The closure also affects public river access areas and the Spring Branch Shooting Area.

Closures will be lifted once the fire danger decreases. BLM staff will post closure notices at all entrances.

Jennifer Mata, manager of the BLM Rescue Field Office, said in the press release that the closure is necessary to protect public health and safety and to ensure firefighter access and safety.

The beautiful natural area includes riverbanks and oak woodlands stretching from the Jelly’s Ferry area north of Red Bluff to the Anderson area.

Lassen Volcanic National Park announced the closure as the fire approached the western edge of the park.

Highway 89 through the park is currently open to through traffic only for evacuation purposes. Recreational travel is prohibited to keep the road clear for evacuating park residents and local communities.

Visitors have been evacuated from all campgrounds and reservations have been canceled. All park employees have been evacuated from park homes and their homes in the community, most are staying in hotels.

Park officials noted that the decision came three years after the Dixie Fire destroyed much of the eastern portion of the park.

Superintendent Rose Worley, who took over the park three months ago, said in a news release that her top priority is employee responsibility and the safety and well-being of employees and visitors. Her second goal is to protect the park’s resources and many historic buildings.

“I want to commend my staff for their resilience,” Worley said in the release. “Many of them experienced the Dixie Fire and I am amazed at their professionalism and fortitude. We are also grateful to our concessionaires and park partners who were also impacted by this wildfire.”

According to a press release, firefighters believe the fire could reach both Manzanita Lake and Mineral Headquarters, areas that were not affected by the Dixie Fire.

The historic district at the park headquarters in Mineral in the southwestern part of the park includes structures built in the 1930s by the California Conservation Corps. On the northwest side of the park is the pristine Manzanita Lake Campground and Historic District, which was spared by the Dixie Fire in the summer of 2021. Crews are reportedly busy rescuing historic artifacts stored at the 1927 Loomis Museum.

Drakesbad Lodge and Juniper Lake in the eastern part of the park have been closed since the Dixie Fire.