Owens fire in Mendocino County fully contained; cause under investigation

The Owens fire, which scorched 36 acres south of Point Arena in Mendocino County this weekend, is now fully contained, according to Cal Fire officials.

The cause of the blaze, which began shortly after 3 p.m. Friday, remains under investigation, officials said Monday. No injuries were reported.

Authorities announced that the blaze was 100% contained Sunday night.

Soon after it began, the fire burned east of Highway 1 in an area 50 miles north of Bodega Bay, according to Cal Fire.

At its height the blaze threatened about 50 structures.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuations Friday along Bill Owens and Schooner Gulch roads, which are parallel to each other east of Highway 1.

The evacuation area stretched just under 3 miles east of the shore and residents were advised to evacuate to Ten Mile Cutoff Road.

Shortly after the fire sparked, satellites from the National Weather Service’s Eureka office showed smoke moving south above the Pacific Ocean.

Fire personnel, though, were eventually able to stop the blaze’s forward progression by about 8 p.m. Friday and evacuations were lifted about an hour later. There were no reports of damage to property.

Cal Fire personnel continued to make advances in containing the blaze and had successfully increased containment efforts to 60% by Saturday evening.

Though there was some concerns about potential problem spots due to “wind and dry conditions,” officials said firefighters would continue to strengthen containment lines and take care of any hot spots or trees that could pose a hazard.

Also by Saturday night, power was restored to all Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers in the area and Highway 1, after a more than 24-hour closure, was reopened, according to Mendocino County Cal Fire Capt. Leah Simmons-Davis.