Mile Post 16 Fire fully contained, Highway 96 set to reopen
Evacuation orders came off Sunday as the 104-acre Mile Post 16 Fire hit full containment, clearing the way for Highway 96 to return to two-way traffic.
Residents in Hoopa and along Highway 96 were told they could start heading home Sunday as all evacuation orders tied to the Mile Post 16 Fire were lifted and the road was set to return to two-way traffic later in the afternoon. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said the blaze had reached 100% containment, turning a week of closures and warnings into a reopening for one of the most important routes in the inland county.
CAL FIRE listed the Mile Post 16 Fire at 104 acres, a size that had held steady through the final stretch of the incident. On July 12, the fire was still 85% contained with evacuation warnings in effect. The day before, containment had climbed to 80 percent, and on July 10 Route 96 had already reopened to one-way traffic as crews gained control of the fire. Evacuation warnings had first been issued on July 8, underscoring how quickly the situation escalated around the Hoopa Valley area.
The reopening matters because Highway 96 links Willow Creek and Weitchpec through the Hoopa Valley Reservation, making it a daily lifeline for commuters, school traffic, supply runs and medical trips. When the road narrows to one-way traffic or closes outright, the disruption reaches beyond the fire line and into the broader Klamath-Trinity corridor, where many residents rely on the highway for basic access.
The Hoopa Valley Tribe said fire crews had reached a major milestone when the fire hit full containment, and the focus shifted from evacuation response to recovery. Even with the blaze contained, residents still had to account for smoke impacts, damaged vegetation and road conditions as crews finished their work and checked that the fire was truly out.
For Humboldt County, the move from warnings to lifted orders marked a fast reversal in a fire season that can change by the hour. By Sunday afternoon, the immediate pressure had eased: residents could return, traffic could resume, and Highway 96 could begin carrying the steady flow of people and goods that keeps the Hoopa Valley connected to the rest of inland Humboldt.
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