Firefighters attack a vegetation fire east of Susanville off Highway 36 in the afternoon of Sunday, July 8. The fire burned from the highway and moved through the vegatation toward the Johnstonville Road area. Handcrews and water tenders are still on scene at approximately 3:30 p.m. Photos by Bob Ellis

Monday, July 9 — Fire crews are patrolling the area of a roadside vegetation fire that burned just east of Susanville off Highway 36,Sunday, July 8.

According to Eric Ewing, Susanville Interagency Fire Center Battalion Chief, personnel from the Susan River Fire Department and Calfire were on sceneMonday, July 9 looking for flare-ups, as well small hotspots and smoldering material along the edge of the Susan River.

The fire burned an estimated 15 to 18 acres but the acreage is still being mapped out, Ewing said and the cause is still under investigation.

Fire crews were dispatched at approximately 1:25 p.m.

Ewing said the Susanville Fire Department (SFD) was the first on scene and reported an approximate five-acre fire with a moderate rate of spread. Itwas contained around 2 p.m.

According to Ewing, the fire burned along the river, crossed over and was stopped at the backside of Tum-a-Lum Lumber and the old mill site. ABC Mini-Storage and the Lassen Rural Bus facility were also threatened, but no structures were lost and no damages have been reported at this time.

Ewing said an area on the north side of the river had been recently mowed, which slowed the fire down.

Other agencies that responded to the incident were the Susan River Fire Department, whose jurisdiction the fire occurred in,with two engines and three water tenders, Calfire with two engines and one hand crew and the Bureau of Land Management’s Diamond Mountain Hotshots. The SFD brought in four engines and there were also fire chiefs and prevention personnel from all agencies.

Motorists could see flames from a vegetation fire burning just east of Susanville off Highway 36, in the afternoon of Sunday, July 8. More details to follow.