Winter says the woman eventually left but the man went back into the home.
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She said the hikers were airlifted to a safe area. It burned almost 11 square miles (28 square kilometers) and forced the evacuations of 900 people, but no homes had burned by Tuesday, authorities said. Wyoming state forester Bill Crapser says about 900 people have evacuated.
Two smaller fires are burning in the Bighorn National Forest.
The blaze began shortly after 8:45 a.m. Friday at Soberanes Creek in Garrapata State Park, north of Big Sur, and crews expect to reach full containment on August 5, according to Cal Fire.
The Big Sur fire threatened a long stretch of pristine, forested mountains hugging the coast and sent smoke billowing over the famed Pacific Coast Highway, which remained open with few if any flames visible to motorists but a risk that the blaze could reach beloved campgrounds, lodges and redwoods near the shore.
A Cal Fire spokesperson said this was not technically a “rescue” as the hikers, who had been near the massive Soberanes fire in Monterey County for at least five days, were given the option to stay or leave, and they chose to walk down from the fire with firefighters.
The death occurred as firefighters worked around the clock against the blaze near a scenic stretch of the California coast, where smoke and the threat of flames forced the closure of state parks near Big Sur, a popular tourist area.
Closures also include the Point Sur lighthouse park, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and Garrapata State Park. A wildfire burns in the Palo Colorado Canyon in the scenic Big Sur region of California’s Central Coast, Monday, July 25, 2016.
The Soberanes Fire remains at only 10 percent contained as firefighters continue to aggressively attack the fast moving fire.
The fire has destroyed 20 homes and two outbuildings, and some 300 residents have been forced out of their homes.
Almost 3,000 firefighters are working the blaze, along with 356 fire engines and 26 helicopters.
Crews took advantage of calmer winds and cooler temperatures overnight as they set backfires to curb the spread of a massive wildfire northwest of Los Angeles.
To the south, firefighters made progress containing a huge blaze in mountains outside Los Angeles, allowing authorities to let most of 20,000 people evacuated over the weekend to return home. The blaze that has destroyed 20 homes and charred 36 square miles of brush was only 10 percent contained late Tuesday.
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More than 300 people have been evacuated and several roads closed in the area, Cal Fire reported Wednesday morning. Fish did not have further details about the incident but said 60 bulldozers were being used in the fight against the fire.
