The fire was 73 percent controlled by Saturday, the AP said, and evacuations that displaced more than 80,000 people began to be lifted on Friday.
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The fire perimeter is still 2 miles from the famous home built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and is mainly burning on the eastern edge in the mostly uninhabited wildlands to the east near Lake Nacimiento. Another 216 outbuildings were destroyed and six damaged.
The historic Hearst Castle, a major tourist attraction on California’s central coast, will be closed to the public through the week as a safety precaution due to a wildfire in the area that has destroyed more than 30 homes, state officials said on Monday.
While the fire was spreading dangerously close to the state landmark on its western flank, residents in the neighborhoods surrounding Lake Nacimiento were again facing possible destruction of their properties as the Chimney Fire expanded to the north and east (see Sunday morning fire map above).
Johanna Santore (63), her husband and their 10-year-old granddaughter were among those who learned they are still not being permitted to return home.
The family were out running an errand when the fire broke out and were unable to return to save anything.
Four dogs, six cats and a hamster left behind are missing.
“I’m hoping is someone is stuck around hiding someplace”, Santore said. “And if I start calling, they might recognise our voices”.
Hundreds of square miles in California have been overcome by wildfires this summer, in part fueled by a prolonged drought. The Los Angeles Times reports that the fast-moving Chimney Fire, which has burned at least 37,000 acres in San Luis Obispo County, has kept teams of firefighters busy protecting the castle.
A almost 50-square-mile fire in eastern OR near the Idaho state line was 60 percent contained and threatening Succor Creek State Park.
Three blazes burning largely unchecked around the outskirts of Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, had collectively blackened about 13,000 acres (5,260 hectares) of dry brush, grass and timber, with zero percent containment, officials said.
Since igniting on August 13, the fire has destroyed 52 structures and damaged seven others, while it continues to threaten 1,896 other buildings including Hearst Castle.
Just 20 percent contained, the blaze has caused the closure of campgrounds and recreation areas but remains far from communities.
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A plane drops a fire retardant over a wildfire near Cajon Pass in California on Tuesday. A release from the Incident Information System reporting the lifting of evacuation orders posted “WELCOME HOME!” in bold print to the evacuees. The Blue Cut Fire no longer poses a threat to communities. Firefighters there were also struggling with steep, rough terrain and hot, dry weather, which was expected to keep the blaze “extreme”, sending dramatic plumes of smoke into the air.
