A fire broke out in the foothills east of Marysville in the afternoon of Aug. 10. Photo courtesy of CALfire

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) – A fire broke out in the foothills east of Marysville the afternoon of Aug. 10, causing Yuba County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Yuba County Sheriff's Office to call for evacuations.

At the time of this article, the fire dubbed the “Ponderosa Fire” continues to burn less than 30% contained, with CalFire resources tackling the fire on the ground and in the air to prevent further spread.

Currently, 87 acres have burned, and the fire remains active with shifting areas of evacuation. Officials are receiving regular updates from CalFire operations and adjusting zones according to the fire-fighting efforts. While warnings have been lifted for some zones, others around the heart of the blaze continue to be under evacuation order.

CalFire NEU posted updates on social media Monday, Aug. 11 notifying the public that firefighters have stopped the forward progress of the blaze and continue working on containment efforts.

An evacuation staging site for residents has been set up at Sycamore Ranch, located at 5390 Highway 20. In addition, the Sheriff’s Posse Arena is open to house larger animals during the evacuation periods. It is located at 5396 Marysville Road.

At press time, road closures include Willow Glen Road between Frenchtown and Marysville roads, with Frenchtown Road completely closed to the public.

CalFire Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit released the cause of the fire, determining that it was an accidental ignition caused by a subject who was working on a vehicle with an impact wrench. Friction from the wrench is believed to have ignited nearby dry grasses.

According to the CalFire press release, the individual attempted to put out the flames and called 911, waiting for CalFire prevention officers to arrive on scene. The subject has been cooperative with CalFire’s investigation.