Yolo County fire evacuations lifted, southbound I-5 reopens near Dunnigan

At least one home was destroyed by a large fire that prompted some evacuations in rural Yolo County near Dunnigan on Monday.

The fire was burning off the shoulder of Interstate 5.

Yolo County officials had issued an immediate evacuation order for zone DUN-009, between County Roads 2 and 6. That order was lifted around 8:30 p.m. Both lanes of southbound I-5 were closed between County Roads 2 and 4 because of the fire, but those have since reopened.

Kimberly Matthis said her uncle's house is a total loss from the fire, and they're waiting to evaluate damage next door at her grandmother's house.

"Blink of an eye, life can just change, and this is absolutely life-changing," Matthis said.

The dry vegetation on a hot day serves as fuel for the flames. Crews attacked the fire both by ground and air.

The Williams Fire Protection Authority in neighboring Colusa County said the agency deployed its REACH medical helicopter for the first time this season for assistance with the firefight in Yolo County. The aircraft is primarily used to provide lifesaving emergency medical response services, but the fire authority said it can be deployed to assist in firefighting efforts when needed.

"Today, our aircraft was deployed in less than 20 minutes, completing more than 19 water drops in two hours to help slow the fire's progress and protect the community in Yolo County. This was the aircraft's first deployment of the wildfire season," Williams Fire said in a statement.

No one was injured in the burning home, but Matthis said some family pets are missing.

"We're just in limbo right now," Matthis said. "We're waiting until they can open it up so we can go inside and see if there's anything or if we can find the two cats that are missing."  

Dunnigan sits along Interstate 5 in northern Yolo County, about 19 miles north of Woodland and roughly 40 miles northwest of Sacramento.