Feliz Fire Explodes to 500-Plus Acres in Mendocino County, Shuts Down Highway 101

A wildfire in Mendocino County tore through dry brush Saturday afternoon, growing from 40 acres to more than 500 in less than three hours, according to Cal Fire.

The blaze, named the Feliz Fire, broke out around 3:40 p.m. near Feliz Creek Road in the Hopland area, roughly 15 miles south of Ukiah, according to KTVU. By 5 p.m. it had reached about 200 acres. By 5:40 p.m. it had passed 500 acres, Cal Fire told KTVU.

Containment lagged far behind the flames. Firefighters had it at 0% as of 5:47 p.m. and had only reached 5% containment by around 7 p.m., according to both Cal Fire and the Mendocino Voice.

Evacuations Ordered, Highway Shut Down

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents near Feliz Creek Road and County Road 110, telling people to leave immediately, according to KTVU. The Sheriff's Office also expanded evacuation orders to cover the area from Saracina Vineyards to Hewlett Sturtevant Road, the Mendocino Voice reported.

Downtown Hopland was placed under an evacuation warning rather than a hard order, meaning residents there were told to be ready to leave at a moment's notice but weren't yet required to go, according to the Mendocino Voice and the New York Post.

Caltrans closed U.S. Highway 101 between Burke Hill Road and the junction with Highway 175 as the fire burned close to the roadway, according to all three outlets covering the incident.

Resources on the Ground

Cal Fire ordered three night-flying helicopters and a night-flying helicopter supervisor to keep working the fire after dark, the New York Post reported. This was an aggressive step meant to slow the fire's advance before conditions potentially worsened overnight.

County officials set up a temporary evacuation point at the Mendocino County Office of Education, 2240 Old River Road in Ukiah. Displaced pet owners were directed to the Mendocino County Animal Shelter on Plant Road in Ukiah, and livestock owners were sent to the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds on North State Street, according to the Mendocino Voice and the New York Post.

KTVU additionally reported that United Disaster Relief of Northern California opened a separate Disaster Resource Center at 650 Babcock Lane in Ukiah, offering displaced residents a place to rest, charge phones, and get water, an option not mentioned in the other two reports.

What's Still Unknown

The cause of the Feliz Fire had not been determined as of Saturday evening, according to the New York Post. No injury or damage figures had been released by any of the reporting outlets, and containment numbers were changing by the hour as crews worked through the night.

Mendocino County sits in terrain that burns fast and hard when conditions line up. Hopland is surrounded by grassland and oak woodland that dries out through the summer. A fire that jumps from 40 to over 500 acres in under three hours signals wind-driven, high-intensity fire behavior. Cal Fire crews have faced this repeatedly across Northern California in recent fire seasons.

The closure of Highway 101, a primary north-south artery through Mendocino County, adds a logistical complication beyond the immediate fire zone. Drivers relying on that stretch were rerouted while Caltrans and fire crews worked the area.

Containment will be the key measure going forward. Cal Fire's 5% figure from around 7 p.m. Saturday will show whether overnight helicopter operations and ground crews managed to slow the fire's spread before conditions shifted with daylight. Evacuation orders and the highway closure are expected to remain in place until fire officials determine the immediate threat to Hopland and surrounding communities has eased.