RENO, Nev. -- Wind whipped up sparks from the Chips Fire, causing "spot fires" to flare up as far a two miles ahead of the fire lines. Because this poses serious danger, fire officials issued the following evacuation orders:

Mandatory Evacuation (encouraged to leave the area and road closures will be in effect for all area roads):
- Hwy 70 at Caribou Road to the Butt Lake Dam
- Rush Creek Road and Seneca Road

Voluntary Evacuation (encouraged to leave the area, no road closures):
- Butt Lake Area, Ohio Valley, Humbug and Humbolt Area, and Yellow Creek Area

Evacuation Advisement (make a plan to evacuate if necessary):
- Hwy 70 from Tobin to Twain.

In addition to evacuations, the following highways have been closed:

Hard Closure (no one except fire personnel allowed until closure lifts):
- Highway 70 at Caribou Road
- Hwy 70 to Butt Lake Dam
- Highway 70 at Rush Creek
- Highway 89 at Seneca Road

Soft Closure (general public not allowed):
- Highway 70 on all additional secondary roads North of Highway 70 between Rock Creek Dam and Twain.
- Highway 89 Butt Lake Dam, Ohio Valley Road, Butt Lake Road, Humbug/Humbolt Road and all additional secondary roads South of Highway 89 between Canyon Dam and the Humbug/Humbolt Road

If you evacuate, either under mandatory order or voluntarily, you can call the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 283-6300 for help getting in contact with the local OES Director for Emergency Shelter.

The Chips fire started July 29th two miles northwest of Belden, CA (near Quincy) and has since grown to 30,000 acres. Almost 1,000 people are working to control it, but the estimated date for containment is not until August 31st.