Lava Fire reminds residents of 2014 Boles Fire

WEED, Cali. – NBC5 News is getting new information about the Lava Fire that’s burning near Weed and Lake Shastina, Cali. On Thursday it was 25% contained and roughly 19,780 acres.

Firefighters are aggressively attacking the Lava Fire. It’s been burning since Friday morning. Firefighters are battling not only the flames but hot weather and rough terrain. The land where it’s burning is so rough, the nearly 1,300 firefighters on the scene are limited on how they can fight the flames. The weather was in their favor Wednesday night, which allowed them to increase containment from 19% to 25%.

“We encountered a lot of lava rock in the ground, which prohibits bulldozers from establishing their line. We had to get in there with hand crews to manipulate that type of terrain,” said John DeYoe, Cal Incident Management Team 14.

A significant number of Weed residents have been evacuated. As of Thursday, firefighters say there are no reported structures lost.

While the Lava Fire continues to burn, many Weed residents have seen this story before.

Back in 2014, an abandoned campfire sparked the Boles Fire. It tore through the town of Weed burning over 150 structures. Now with many residents of Weed evacuating again for the Lava Fire, it’s bringing back some unwanted memories.

“I spent most of my time Monday night not sleeping but checking my ring cameras to see if I saw my house. About every 10 minutes I was checking it. Sometimes I could see the glow in the background of the flames. It’s a nauseating feeling,” said Tim Rundel, City Manager of Weed.

Rundel said it’s important to talk with friends and family during these stressful times. Staying busy or distracting yourself from non-fire-related activities may also help.

The City of Weed is asking residents to be patient and to stay vigilant during this time.