NORTH COAST, Calif. – A complex of fires burning in northern Mendocino County rapidly increased in size on Sunday.
The Pass Complex Fire grew to 5,015 acres by Sunday evening, five times the size it was reported to be earlier in the day, according to a report from Cal Fire spokesperson Julie Cooley.
Approximately 540 firefighting personnel were working the fire on Sunday evening, with Cooley reporting 10 percent containment.
The complex was first reported shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday 10 miles northeast of Covelo in Williams Valley.
The two-fire complex includes the Pass 1, which has burned into the Mendocino National Forest, and the Pass 2, which Cooley said jumped the fire line and is burning toward Pass 1.
The fires are moving east and southeast in heavy timber, Cooley reported.
Since the morning report, one outbuilding had been destroyed, according to Cooley. No evacuations were in place.
Resources on scene Sunday evening included 41 fire engines, 20 fire crews, nine bulldozers, two airtankers, two helicopters and six water tenders, Cooley reported.
Cal Fire and the US Forest Service have a unified command on the incident.
Satellite images of Northern California show the Pass Complex is sending smoke south into Lake County, where residents complained of smoky conditions throughout the day.
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