Helena Fire grows to 16,000 acres, some evacuation orders lifted

TRINITY COUNTY – The Helena Fire continues to grow, but the Office of Emergency Services along with the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, among other agencies, have decided it’s safe to lift evacuation orders on the south side of State Route 299.

Firefighters reported the Helena fire was at about 15,000 acres as of Wednesday evening, and as of Thursday, those estimations have gone up to 16,000 acre.

The Helena Fire is also expected to soon combine with the Fork Fire – sitting at about 3,400 acres – to make for a fire totaling over 20,000 acres.

Rain has helped with fire activity but strong, erratic winds and potential lightning are expected to influence the spread.

As of noon Wednesday, residents from the south side of Highway 299 were allowed to re-enter that area.

Certain road closures do remain in effect – including:

Canyon Creek Road
Upper Road
Lower Road
Valdor Road
Powerhouse Road

Higway 299 is again offering single-time traffic openings Thursday at the following times:
5:30 a.m.

9AM
2PM
5:30PM
9:30PM

Caltrans asks that you to arrive 15-20 minutes before scheduled single-time openings, but not any sooner than that.

They also recommend checking CHP’s Trinity River Facebook page for their latest updates, as highway conditions can change quickly: https://www.facebook.com/TRPIO/