No sooner was the Gap Fire totally contained, than another fast-moving fire took off west of it Friday.

The Ponderosa Fire near Weimar, south of Colfax and Interstate 80, had burned 300 acres and was 25 percent contained by 6 p.m. That figure was revised from an earlier estimate of 500 acres.

The cause wasn't immediately known, but the fire had claimed 50 acres in steep, rugged terrain before it was spotted, said information officer Phil Porto of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

There was no estimated time of containment, but Porto was encouraged because temperatures were cooling and winds were slowing as tanker planes continued to drop retardant until dusk.

"Hopefully, we'll get a handle on this before long," he said.

CDF called for voluntary evacuations along several roads in the area, and some people took up the offer, Porto said. Evacuation centers were set up at Sierra Vista Community Center in Colfax and at Weimar Hill School.

The fire followed Thursday's fire east of Colfax and north of the interstate. That 30-acre blaze started from a catalytic converter that fell off a vehicle.

I-80 wasn't closed Friday, as it was during part of the six-day Gap Fire in the Emigrant Gap area.

There, crews began considering the 2,462-acre blaze's long-term effects as total control of the fire was expected Monday.

"(Control) basically mean's the fire is no longer a threat of ever getting away," Tahoe National Forest information officer Bruce Hayden said.

Eventually, efforts will focus on rehabilitating the charred landscape in Placer County and a small part of Nevada County. The work will include reducing soil erosion and protecting the watershed, Hayden said.

Suppression costs for the six-day blaze reached $3.4 million, and are expected to rise. TNF's largest fire of the season started Sunday, and while an official cause hasn't been reported, an abandoned campfire is suspected.

[NCCFD responded B85 as an initial attack Type III strike team, E87 as a part of a Type I strike team for structure protection, and WT88 as a part of a task force, to the "Ponderosa Fire"]

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