A wildfire north of scenic Big Sur spread again overnight and has now charred more than 67 square miles.
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Investigators determined the blaze that has charred charred more than 69 square miles and destroyed 57 homes was started July 22 in a camping area of Garapata Park and left unattended.
Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo said if a person is arrested, they could be charged with negligence and manslaughter for the death of 35-year-old bulldozer operator Robert Oliver Reagan III, killed fighting the fire last week.
Since erupting on July 22, the fire has blackened almost 46,000 acres (18,600 hectares), destroyed at least 57 homes and claimed the life of a bulldozer operator who died when his tractor rolled over as he helped property owners battle the blaze.
It was 25 percent contained by Sunday evening.
Firefighters expected dry, hot winds and the possibility of erratic flames in a series of wildfires that have charred nearly 75 square miles of rangeland in northwest Nevada.
That fire started Saturday and by Monday had grown to over 3 square miles with just 20 percent of it surrounded by firefighters.
700 firefighting personnel are on the scene and it is now five percent contained.
The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe town of Sutcliffe is no longer threatened, but residents in some rural areas have been told to prepare to evacuate quickly if necessary.
It’s the largest of several wildfires burning in Washington state. But crews fear gusty winds blowing off the Pacific Ocean could fan flames that forced evacuations earlier on tribal lands near Pyramid Lake north of Reno.
Just north of Los Angeles, a 65-square-mile wildfire in wilderness just north of Los Angeles was nearly fully contained and only active with isolated pockets of vegetation burning within a fire lines.
Cal Fire officials ask anyone who was in the area where the fire started on July 22, or the days prior, to contact the agency at 1-800-468-4408.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
After the wind switched direction, officials set smaller fires to eradicate fuel for the bigger flames and protect the town of Lowman about 2 miles away.
The blaze, the largest of several wildfires in central and eastern Washington, began Saturday on the U.S. Army’s Yakima Training Center and quickly grew in size over the weekend.
The latest perimeter map was just published, showing the fire as it approaches both the northern part of Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest.
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Northwest of Dubois, a 21-square-mile blaze was 40 percent surrounded and some residents who evacuated seasonal homes were allowed to return. The fire has burned 46 square miles and is 84 per cent contained. Authorities say some fences were damaged, but no homes have been lost.
