Update: Paso Robles blaze 60% contained, 2 homes burned and more damaged
Update, Tuesday 10 a.m.
A 15-acre fire that broke out in the Salinas Riverbed near Paso Robles is estimated to be 60% contained as of Tuesday morning.
The fire began around 1:55 p.m. Monday and quickly spread, leading to evacuations, damaged and destroyed homes and a power outage.
According to a city news release, two homes were destroyed and nine have been damaged by the fire.
As of Tuesday morning, the evacuation order for 98 households remains in place.
Remaining street closures include River Road from Creston to Navajo and Creston Road from River Road to the west entrance of Ferro Lane. Capitol Hill, Elm Court, and Almond Street are closed as well.
All power has been restored, according to PG&E, but crews are still in working in the area.
The evacuation center will remain open at the Paso Robles Senior Center, 270 Scott St. Anyone needing assistance with animal evacuations can call the North County Animal Hospital at 805-238-5882.
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Update, 7:25 p.m.
Evacuations were still in place Monday night as Paso Robles officials said forward progress had been stopped on the River Fire.
It was estimated to be 10 percent contained, and evacuations were still in place.
The fast-moving fire destroyed two homes and badly damaged four others after it leapt from the Salinas Riverbed, across South River Road and into the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the city said.
The fire started at 1:55 p.m. and forced the evacuation of 559 residences over seven acres.
Remaining street closures include River Road from Creston to Navajo, Creston Road from River Road to the west entrance of Ferro Lane, Capitol Hill, Elm Court and Almond Street. The closures were expected to last through the night
The evacuation order has been reduced to the current closed areas and affects 98 households.
PG&E has restored power to about 2,300 customers and estimates an additional six to eight hours for others.
The evacuation center will remain open through the night at the Paso Robles Senior Center, 270 Scott St. Anyone needing assistance with animal evacuations can call the North County Animal Hospital at 805-238-5882.
Update, 7 p.m.
Smoke lingered in the air hours after the River Fire burned through Paso Robles’ Capitol Hill neighborhood, leaving behind a trail of charred structures and vehicles.
The flames seemed to hopscotch through the area — in one case, destroying two cars and a trailer but leaving a bike in the same path virtually unscathed.
At least one house in the neighborhood was almost completely burned. The fire burned behind that property and skirted along the back fences of other homes clustered nearby.
On Monday evening, the buzz of chainsaws could be heard as firefighters mopped up and people wandered through the burn area to survey the damage.
Jon Waterfield helped defend a friend’s Capitol Hill home from the fire as the wind drove flames quickly up the dry hillside. He sprayed the grass around the home with a hose, and then a passer-by pulled up with a shovel and started helping him dig a fire break.
Within 10 minutes, the fire was burning close to the break they were creating, Waterfield said.
“It was really intense,” he said. “I’ve never really fought any fire like that. It was pretty hot and smoky.”
Waterfield said they were able to keep the flames at bay just long enough for a bulldozer to come through and complete the fire break.
“I wasn’t prepared,” he said. “I figured it was just going to be a little fire up the hill, and then all of a sudden it’s on our doorstep. It was just really intense.”
Waterfield also watched fire retardant being sprayed in the neighborhood and a helicopter dumping a load of water on a nearby house. He also said he saw a power transformer explode, which added to the flames.
“It just was fire from all directions,” Waterfield said. “It was surrounding us.”
Update, 6:30 p.m.
More than 2,000 Paso Robles residents are without electricity after the River Fire downed power lines, which PG&E crews are working to repair.
A PG&E outage map shows about 2,426 customers are without power. Electricity is expected to be restored between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Update, 5:30 p.m.
At least two Paso Robles structures have burned in the River Fire that sparked on Monday afternoon in the Salinas Riverbed.
A mobile home on Almond Street and a house on Creston Road were both charred in the fire, according to a Tribune photographer.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for residents living in neighborhoods bounded by South River Road, Navajo Avenue, Union Road and Walnut and Bolen drives, according to a city news release.
Additional evacuations have also been ordered in neighborhoods around Montbello Oaks Drive, Rolling Hills Road, Kleck Road and all the way up to Highway 46 East, according to a San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services tweet.
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Update, 4:20 p.m.
Paso Robles leaders have ordered additional evacuations as firefighters continue to battle a fire that sparked in the Salinas Riverbed.
Residents must evacuate from neighborhoods bounded by South River Road, Navajo Avenue, Union Road and Walnut and Bolen drives, according to a city news release.
Additional evacuations have also been ordered in neighborhoods around Montbello Oaks Drive, Rolling Hills Road, Kleck Road and all the way up to Highway 46 East, according to a San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services tweet.
The city is opening two evacuation centers at the Paso Robles Veterans Hall, 240 Scott St., and at the Paso Robles Senior Center, 270 Scott St.
Update, 3:30 p.m.
The Paso Robles fire that started in the Salinas Riverbed is now burning in the bluffs above South River Road, according to a tweet from the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services.
Residents are being evacuated near River Road, Navajo Avenue, Creston Road, Shannon Hill, Walnut Drive, Elm Court and the Capitol Hill area, according to a post on the Paso Robles Police Department’s Facebook page.
The Paso Robles Veterans Hall at 240 Scott St. is the evacuation assembly point for those impacted by the fire, according to the county Office of Emergency Services.
River Road is closed to traffic from Navajo Avenue to 13th Street, and Union Road is closed to Kleck Road, according to the Paso Robles Police Department post.
Original story:
Paso Robles residents on Monday afternoon were evacuated from several neighborhoods after a fire sparked in the Salinas Riverbed.
The fire started about 1:55 p.m. in a portion of the riverbed near South River Road and Navajo Avenue, according to PulsePoint.
Paso Robles police initially closed South River Road to traffic from the intersection of 13th Street and Creston Road down to Navajo Road, according to the department’s Facebook page.
After the fire jumped South River Road, police began evacuating residents living near Capitol Hill, Navajo Avenue and Cheyenne and Shoshone drives.
Check back for updates on this continuing story.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 3:01 PM.
