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California’s Big Sur-area fire spreads overnight

As of Thursday morning, the fire has burned 51,000 acres (79.68 square miles) and is 25 percent contained.

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In western Wyoming, firefighters are trying to gain better control of several other large wildfires.

Pyramid Lake is about 40 miles north of Reno. No injuries have been reported, and no structures have been damaged.

“In some locations the fire is still actively burning at night”, Cal Fire spokesman Don Jaques said Tuesday.

A bulldozer operator was also killed on the fire lines during a rollover accident.

Residents have been allowed to return to their homes after a 5-square-mile wildfire prompted the evacuation of about two dozen homes in central Washington.

The blaze has charred more than 7 square miles in Napa, Yolo and Solano counties since igniting Tuesday.

Investigators believe the person or persons left the fire and soon left the trail, traveling into thick redwood forest, all just more than 2 miles from Highway 1, Cal Fire officials said at a press conference on Tuesday. The fire has burned 46 square miles and is 84 percent contained.

Firefighters say about 30 homes in Utah have been evacuated after a small wildfire ignited near a neighborhood backing up to a mountainside. Another 215 homes were placed on alert due to concerns the fire could blow up Tuesday evening. The name of the fire comes from Soberanes Creek, near where the blaze began.

Fire spokeswoman Jennifer Myslivy says no evacuations have been ordered. It was the second California wildfire-related death in a week.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

By October and November, the potential for significant wildfires is expected to be above normal in an arc of states from Texas to New Jersey.

Federal officials mobilized two U.S. Department of Defense retardant-dropping aircraft to help fight wildfires in the West.

Santa Barbara County Firefighters hold the Soberanes Fire from crossing fire break on the India Division near Cachagua in east Carmel Valley on Wednesday August 3, 2016.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise said the C-130s will go into action on Wednesday and initially be based in Boise.

Winds are forecast later in the day. The fire quickly spread across State Route 24 to Rattlesnake Ridge threatening…

They were aided by air tankers and helicopters.

It has scorched more than 79 square miles and is just partially contained.

“I would encourage anybody who was in the area at the time of the fire to do the right thing and come forward with any information that they might have”, added Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal.

By Wednesday morning, authorities say crews had gained some containment of the fire.

In California, a wildfire north of scenic Big Sur spread again overnight and has now charred more than 67 square miles.

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity helped firefighters make progress.

Hot, windy weather and hard-to-access terrain have made conditions difficult for firefighters as the blazes destroy homes and force evacuations.

Fire officials said West Rim Drive could be intermittently closed over the next couple of days.

Fire crews have repeatedly had to abandon fire lines as the flames moved north. Myslivy says crews are trying to build another line using a prescribed burn near Lowman.

Residents in some rural areas have been told to prepare to evacuate quickly if necessary. The lake is closed.

In neighboring Bridger-Teton National Forest, a fire that has burned about 45 square miles was 81 percent contained.

Authorities said firefighters increased containment to 60 per cent.

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Almost 1,500 firefighters are battling the blaze burning timber in rugged terrain.

Big Sur California Fire Update: Root Cause Detected, Hundreds Evacuated, States Under Alert