New California Wildfire Breaks Out, Triggers Mandatory Evacuations

A vegetation fire dubbed the Hawk Fire triggered mandatory evacuation orders on Monday in the Somerset area of El Dorado County, according to the CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 8/10/2026, 9:54:22 PM EDT

New California Wildfire Breaks Out, Triggers Mandatory Evacuations — A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter drops water to contain a wildfire in Burbank, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2026. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)

A vegetation fire dubbed the Hawk Fire triggered mandatory evacuation orders on Monday in the Somerset area of El Dorado County, according to the CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit.

The blaze broke out at 2:14 p.m. near Hawk Haven Lane and Perry Creek, about one mile north of Fairplay. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Firefighting operations fall under the jurisdiction of the CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit, and no incident management team had been assigned as of the latest update.

The fire grew quickly in its early hours. At 3:24 p.m., evacuation warnings were issued for the area of Grizzly Flat Road and Mehwald Lane, within the Somerset and Grizzly Flat perimeter zones. Nine minutes later, remote sensing aircraft measured the fire at 45 acres. By 3:35 p.m., officials reported the fire was expanding rapidly with new spot fires on the ground, prompting requests for additional ground and air resources.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office also confirmed on Instagram that fire fighters and other first responders were on scene battling the vegetation fire near Hawk Haven Lane and Perry Creek Road. The sheriff's office noted a mandatory evacuation order was issued for the Somerset Perimeter Zone, covering the area from Hawk Haven Lane to Perry Creek Road and from Gray Rock to Slug Gulch Road, and directed residents to evacuate via Fairplay Road and Mount Aukum Road. A temporary evacuation point was set up at the Placerville Library, located at 345 Fair Lane in Placerville.

Additional evacuation warnings were later posted for residents along Slug Gulch Road, Boondock Trail, Kirk Lane, Silent Path Road, and Raphael Ridge Road, spanning the Somerset, Grizzly Flat, and Omo Ranch perimeter zones.

By 4:20 p.m., CAL FIRE's Amador-El Dorado Unit reported that forward progress of the fire had been stopped, a development the sheriff's office relayed to the public on Instagram as well. CAL FIRE's own incident update at 4:24 p.m. confirmed the fire's spread had been halted, though the blaze had already destroyed one outbuilding.

Despite the halted growth, both evacuation orders and evacuation warnings remained active in the affected zones as of the latest update. Under the mandatory evacuation order for the Somerset Perimeter Zone, officials described the threat as immediate, instructing residents that the area is lawfully closed to public access and warning them to leave now. For the broader warning zones, including Grizzly Flat Road, Mehwald Lane, and surrounding roads, officials urged residents, especially those with pets or livestock needing extra time, to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Officials advised residents to drive cautiously given the number of emergency responders working in the area, and directed the public to the Perimeter Map for El Dorado County for continuing updates.