Update: Fire In Calaveras County

Hill Fire near Carson Hill in Calaveras County that shutdown Highway 49 -- PG&E map

Update at 11:45 a.m.: A section of Highway 49 has reopened after the quarter-acre Hill Fire ignited in the Carson Hill area and closed it from the quarry entrance to the Stevenot Bridge. Crews stopped the flames from spreading within ten minutes of arriving on the scene. What sparked the blaze is under investigation. Further fire details can be viewed below.

Original post at 11:21 a.m.: Angels Camp, CA — Firefighters have stopped the forward spread of a quarter-acre vegetation fire in the Carson Hill area that closed a section of Highway 49.

Dubbed the Hill Fire by CAL Fire, the flames broke out around 11 a.m. in the 5400 block of the highway, near New Melones Lake. The blaze is burning in grass and oak woodland along the highway, forcing its closure from the Carson Hill Quarry entrance to the Stevenot Bridge. Within minutes of their arrival, crews stopped the flames from spreading. They will remain on the scene working toward full containment for the next hour.

CHP officers are redirecting traffic, and there is no estimated time for when the highway will fully reopen. What ignited the fire remains under investigation.