QUINCY — High winds on Wednesday caused the Sutherland Canyon Fire to grow in size to 47,500 acres and prompted a Level 2 evacuation notice for areas near Quincy on Thursday.

Strong winds pushed the Sutherland Canyon Fire, which started in Douglas County Monday after a lightning strike, into parts of Grant County late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. A Level 2 evacuation notice was issued by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning. The notice covered areas east of Road L Northwest/Baird Springs Road Northwest, north to Road 20 Northwest, south to the top of Monument Hill and east to Sagebrush Flats Road. A Level 2 notice indicates there is a significant risk to an area and a mandatory evacuation notice could be issued at anytime.

The Sutherland Fire merged with the Straight Hollow Fire on Wednesday, due in part to high winds throughout the area for most of the day on Wednesday. As of Thursday afternoon, the Incident Management Team reported the blaze was at 20 percent containment.

Firefighters at the scene reported limited effectiveness of water and retardant because of dense grass and brush conditions.