Update: Progress Made Extinguishing Fire In West Point

Update at 5:07pm: CAL Fire officials say repopulation of evacuated areas due to the Point Fire will begin at 5:30 p.m.

CAL Fire spokesperson Lindy Shoff adds that the lifting of the evacuation order is for residents only and that there will be an ID checkpoint through which drivers must pass and be able to produce a photo identification bearing an address relating to the affected neighborhoods. As reported earlier (below0, the streets are Higdon Road, Higdon Spink Road and Spink Road.

The blaze remains 25 percent contained at 130 acres, according to Shoff.

Update at 3:48pm: CAL Fire, after an apparent miscommunication, is back to describing the Point Fire as 130 acres, albeit now 25 percent contained.

Update at 2:07pm: Acreage has creeped up a bit on the Point Fire. According to CAL Fire spokesperson Lindy Shoff, the blaze is now described as 150 acres in size, still with ten percent containment. Read on for further details and evacuation information, which remains in place.

Update at 11:50am: Due to better mapping, CAL Fire is now estimating that the Point Fire is 130 acres. It remains 10-percent contained. Damage assessment officials will be on scene throughout the afternoon.

Update at 10:05am: CAL Fire spokesperson Lindy Shoff says the forward rate of spread has been stopped on the 150 acre Point Fire. It is still estimated to be 10-percent contained. Highway 26 remains closed near the fire area, between Railroad Flat Road and the Amador/Calaveras county line. All earlier evacuation orders remain in place. PG&E estimates that around 18 customers near the fire area are still without electricity. What ignited the fire remains under investigation.

Update at 9:20am: 10-percent containment has been reached on the 150 acre Point Fire burning in Calaveras County, according to CAL Fire spokesperson Lindy Shoff. Air and ground resources are on scene this morning. All earlier evacuation orders remain in place.

Update at 6:55am: PG&E reports that the number of customers without electricity, near the Point Fire, is now estimated to be nearly 2,400. The latest size estimate, from CAL Fire, is 150 acres burned. The fire has resulted in the closure of Highway 26 near the fire.

Update at 6:15am: PG&E reports that 121 customers are without power near the Point Fire in West Point. CAL Fire reports there is a lot of dead and dry fuels in that area, low relative humidity and some heavy morning winds.

Original story posted at 4:29am: West Point, CA — The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office reports that an area of West Point is being evacuated due to an early morning vegetation fire.

CAL Fire reports that the “Point Fire” is burning 150 acres in timber. It ignited near Highway 26 and Higdon Road. A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for Higdon Road, Higdon Spink Road and Spink Road. You will need to avoid the area. CAL Fire is on the scene. Evacuation centers are being set up at the West Point Community Church and the Pioneer Sierra Baptist Church in Pioneer. We’ll pass along more information when it becomes available.