The Mill Fire burned through portions of Siskiyou County in Northern California over Labor Day weekend. The fire began on September 2 near a lumber mill on the outskirts of Weed, a town of approximately 2,600 people that is 250 miles north of San Francisco. The fire quickly burned through the historically Black community of Lincoln Heights – one of the oldest established Black communities west of the Mississippi – killing two residents and destroying around 100 homes. The fire is the second to strike Weed in the last ten years: in 2014, the Boles Fire destroyed nearly one-third of the town’s housing stock.
The fire has also impacted the nearby town of Lake Shastina, destroying between 30 and 50 homes and becoming the most destructive fire in the town’s history. The fire also destroyed a sewage pump station in Lake Shastina, meaning that even those whose homes were not impacted by the fire will be unable to return to their houses until the station is replaced.
As of late last week, as many as 7,500 people had been forced to evacuate, though the fire had begun to slow. In all, more than 118 structures – including houses, businesses, and other buildings – had been destroyed. In addition to the two people who had been killed, three others had sustained injuries. Siskiyou County authorities were beginning to catalogue the damage caused by the blaze, and displaced households were returning to inspect the damage. Power remained shut off in the immediate area.
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency declaration in Siskiyou County due to the “rapidly-spreading fire.” A Fire Management Assistance Grant has also been secured from FEMA. Both will provide funding to help contain the fire and those impacted by it.
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) has been in contact with members from Northern California and remains ready to assist with efforts to ensure an equitable and complete disaster housing recovery for those impacted.