A vegetation fire erupted in central California over the weekend, quickly spreading to 1,000 acres and prompting evacuations in multiple counties.
The Silver Fire ignited at 2:11 p.m. local time on Sunday in Inyo County near Highway 6 and Silver Canyon Road, north of Bishop, near the state border with Nevada.
Hours later, evacuation orders were issued for the Laws in Inyo County, Chalfant in Mono County, and White Mountain Estates neighborhoods and a 30-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 6 was closed.
The inferno quickly grew to 1,000 acres by 8 p.m. and is at 0% containment, according to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos of the blaze by Cal Fire showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from orange flames consuming dry, yellowed brush.
Strong winds and gusts reaching up to 35 mph fueled the fire, which “created hazardous conditions, grounding some firefighting aircraft and complicating containment efforts,” according to Cal Fire.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, and an evacuation center has been set up at Bishop Senior Center in Bishop.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for parts of central California from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. PT on Monday. Southwest winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 65 mph are forecast for the area, which could encourage further fire spread.
It comes as dangerous fires have been burning across the country in the past weeks. Blazes exploded in South Carolina earlier this month and continue to burn.
South Carolina state officials are expected to lift a statewide burn ban for most counties Monday morning. However, five counties —Greenville, Horry, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg — face ongoing wildfire threats and will remain under restrictions.
There, the Table Rock Fire spans nearly 11,000 acres in South Carolina and 574 acres in neighboring North Carolina, and is at 9% containment, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission’s Sunday report. Meanwhile, the Persimmon Ridge Fire burned over 2,000 acres and is at 24% containment. Mandatory evacuations remain in place for some residents of Greenville County. These fires are fueled by dry vegetation and downed timber left in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
