It's on Fire, Again
Jun 30, 2022 12:00AM ● By By Seti Long
The Hwy 99 Fire burned some 65.7 acres of land just outside of Gridley. Photo by Gridley Media Group
GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – The large open field north of town and south of the Gridley-Biggs Cemetery has been plagued by fires recently.
Wednesday, June 22, 2022, another fire broke out in the acreage just south of Deniz Brother Ln, the point of origin believed to be south of a tree line in the field full of dry brush. The tall weeds and southern winds fueled the quick moving wildfire that broke out around noon, according to the CALFIRE/Butte County Fire Department incident report.
Response by CALFIRE and support agencies was immediate, with the brush fire spreading rapidly in the north and westward direction paralleling the Union Pacific Railroad. The fire shut down the railways for hours and allegedly was the reason that Heron Landing and homes west of the railroad tracks lost power. It is believed that PG&E, which was on scene during the blaze, shut power down for safety reasons.
The heart of blaze moved northward, but spot fires jumped the tracks and lit areas west of the tracks on fire. These “jackpots”, small spot fires that popped up in the orchards west of the tracks and in other areas, were tackled by multiple units prepositioned to contain any fires that could potentially ignite. A small spot fire west of the railroad tracks of about 4 acres was contained by said units.
According to CALFIRE’s public information officer, Jacob Gilliam, responding units included 4 water tenders, 12 engines, 5 overhead personnel, a dozer and later, a CALFIRE helicopter to drop water where the engines and trucks could not gain access.
The CALFIRE/Butte County Fire Department incident report lists responding, cooperating agencies as: Sutter County Fire Department, Gridley Police Department, Butte County Fire Department Volunteers, PG&E, Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Union Pacific Railroad and Yuba County Fire Department. According to Gilliam, the helicopter and dozer, which are state resources, were pulled in due to the threat the fire posed to the City of Gridley and its citizens.
Overall, 65.7 acres were burned, and according to the CALFIRE/Butte County incident report, “three travel trailers and six vehicles were destroyed in the fire. No injuries were reported, and the cause is under investigation.” The fire was 100% contained later that evening at 8:01 pm.
This wildfire, being called the Hwy 99 Fire, is just one of multiple fires that have broken out in the area over the last few weeks. According to observations by the grounds keepers at the Gridley-Biggs Cemetery, they believe that this was potentially the 6th substantial fire requiring the attention of fire crews that has occurred in the area within the last 6 months. Sources allege that smaller fires are observed in the acreage that the Hwy 99 fire originated in almost weekly.
