The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office ordered evacuations for the Covelo Fire on July 7, telling residents east of Mina Road in Mendocino County to leave right away. The order covered MEN-1COV14-A, while MEN-1COV14-B was placed under warning, and the notices were sent shortly before 4:20 p.m.
The fire was reported about 3:30 p.m. and was first estimated at 15 acres. By about 4:10 p.m., local officials said the fire had been downgraded to an estimated three-quarters of an acre according to the Watch Duty App, a sharp change that came before the evacuation notices were issued.
Quincy Cromer on Mina Road
Quincy Cromer, a spokesperson for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, said the recommended route for residents east of Mina Road was Mina Road to Highway 162 into Covelo. The office sent the evacuation notice through a Wireless Emergency Alert and told residents under the order not to delay and to call 911 only for emergencies.
The notices covered the Agency Fire area east of Mina Road to Agency Road, which placed the response inside a defined stretch of road rather than a broad countywide area. Officials also said more information would be posted at mendoready.org as it became available.
Agency Fire east of Mina Road
Forward progress of the fire was stopped around 5:20 p.m., but Cromer said the order and warning would stay in place for numerous hours while firefighters continued work. “Sounds like we will be holding the evacuation order and warning for numerous hours while the firefighters continue their work,” he said.
The size change from 15 acres to three-quarters of an acre showed that the fire’s footprint had already shifted by the time evacuation steps were underway. For residents in MEN-1COV14-A and MEN-1COV14-B, the practical instruction remained the same: leave east of Mina Road by the route laid out by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and wait for updated instructions from the county alert system and mendoready.org.
