MENDOCINO CO., 8/19/26 — The Williams Fire burned 19 acres off Mendocino Pass Road east of Covelo and was 50% contained Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire incident data.
The fire started at 8:47 p.m. Tuesday. Crews stopped its forward progress at about 10:39 p.m., an hour and 50 minutes after the first dispatch, and it is holding between Mendocino Pass Road and the Eel River, Cal Fire said.
The first size-up from the scene reported three separate fires, each about a quarter-acre, moving at a moderate rate through grass and brush, according to Cal Fire and sheriff’s radio traffic monitored by the Voice. By 9:32 p.m. the incident commander had ordered 10 additional engines, 10 water tenders and two more dozers.
Water tenders are trucks that haul water to fires where there are no hydrants to draw from.
Fire hydrants were never installed in Covelo. In January, the state put $150,000 toward a Phase I feasibility study, preliminary engineering and permitting for a community-wide hydrant system, funding secured by Sen. Mike McGuire, with Mendocino County advancing the engineering study. The announcement said wildfire risk in Covelo runs higher than in 92% of communities nationwide, and that the absence of hydrants has delayed fire suppression in structure fires, prevented rebuilding after fires and made affordable home insurance nearly impossible for many residents to obtain.
“In Covelo, the lack of fire infrastructure has handicapped housing investment and commercial development for years, while also putting our brave first responders at a disadvantage in this fire-prone region,” 3rd District Supervisor John Haschak said in the announcement.
At 9:14 p.m. Tuesday a caller told dispatchers that the fire was burning on both sides of his address and he could not get out, according to radio traffic. Dispatch issued a Code 3 alert covering a half-mile radius, then widened it to two miles about 10 minutes later.
The incident commander issued an evacuation order at 9:23 p.m. for residents along Mendocino Pass Road, directing them west into Covelo. The order was downgraded to a warning before 11 p.m. Cal Fire has since dropped the warning to situational awareness.
Tribal officers worked evacuations alongside sheriff’s deputies. At 10:11 p.m. a deputy told dispatch he had “tribal” with him and was starting evacuations toward the river. At 9:34 p.m. the sheriff’s office asked the Ukiah Police Department whether they could handle emergency calls in Ukiah while deputies were committed in Covelo, about 65 miles away.
The Williams Fire is the fourth fire around Covelo since mid-June to draw a Cal Fire incident report. The Timber Fire burned nine acres on Judge Webber Lane on June 16. The Agency Fire burned less than an acre on July 7. The Anderson Fire burned 205 acres south of town along Highway 162 on Aug. 5.
Cal Fire’s public updates say structures were threatened but do not say whether any were damaged, and the agency has not released a cause. Dispatchers logged multiple separate fires burning when crews arrived and relayed a report of vehicles involved.
Cal Fire estimated the fire at 50 acres and 0% containment at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. By Wednesday morning its incident data listed 19 acres, citing improved mapping for the change.
Crews worked the lines overnight and handed off command at 8:33 a.m. Wednesday. Water tenders began releasing from the incident at about 8:56 a.m., and two hand crews arrived at 9:42 a.m.