Police officers in a historic California Gold Rush town are ordering residents to evacuate immediately due to a wildfire that erupted Wednesday afternoon.
The order was announced by the Grass Valley Police Department on Wednesday afternoon, just hours after the Bennett Fire started. KCRA reports that the fire has burned about 25 acres as of 4:40 p.m with zero containment.
Residents in zones GRS-E222, GRS-E280 and E-380, which encompass Whispering Pines, the Olympia Glade Mobile Home Park and Glenbrook Shopping Center, are under the evacuation order, while GRS-E250 and GRS-E381 — where Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital and two assisted-living facilities are located — are being asked to shelter in place.
Nevada County officials are ordering residents affected by the orders to go to Nevada Union High School.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and the Sacramento Bee reports that Cal Fire and other agencies are working to battle the blaze.
The evacuation website Zonehaven, which officials are using for evacuation orders, describes the Bennett Fire as a “fast moving wildfire” with an “immediate threat to life.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
