CA's Biggest Fire Of 2022 Near Bishop: 4,136 Acres, 30% Contained

BISHOP, CA — Crews continue to make good progress Friday on the 4,136-acre Airport fire burning in the Owens Valley near Bishop.

Despite overnight freezing temperatures, the blaze was at 30 percent containment Friday morning and the brusher's forward spread has been stopped, Cal Fire San Bernardino/Inyo/Mono Unit officials announced. Full containment on the blaze is expected Feb. 24, the agency reported.

All evacuation orders were lifted Thursday night. Highway 168 was also reopened, but Warm Springs Road remained closed.

The Airport fire in Inyo County is California's biggest blaze so far this year. The brusher broke out at approximately 12:40 p.m. Wednesday in an area east of Bishop at Airport Road and East Line Street. The blaze turned into a major incident that forced evacuations, threatened structures, and closed roads.

Crews have battled the inferno from the ground and air: 698 personnel were assigned to the firefight as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.

In addition to homes, fire crews have been working to protect Caltech's Owens Valley Radio Observatory, located on ancestral lands of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe. The facility is one of the largest university-operated radio observatories in the world and is used for research in radio astronomy and astrophysics, according to Caltech.

No structures have burned, according to Cal Fire.

The fire broke out a few miles south of the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport, which is a main transportation hub for Mammoth visitors. According to an airport spokesperson, the blaze was not on airport property and Wednesday's scheduled flights were uninterrupted.

The Bishop area was under a National Weather Service wind advisory Wednesday, but wind conditions eased Thursday, according to the NWS.

There was no word on what sparked the blaze, and no injuries were reported.

Inyo County is a sparsely populated area located between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Nevada state line. The county's population is just under 20,000 people, according to the latest census data. Bishop is the only incorporated city in the county.

Last month, the state saw another major wildfire. The Colorado fire along the Big Sur Coast broke out Jan. 21 and charred 687 acres before it was fully contained earlier this month. One structure was destroyed in the blaze, according to Cal Fire.

On Feb. 10, the Emerald fire broke out just northwest of Laguna Beach and charred 154 acres. As of Wednesday afternoon, Cal Fire reported the blaze was 90 percent contained.

Check back for updates.