California fires are claiming homes and buildings by the thousand.
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The fire is now 1,200 acres with 10 percent containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. All evacuation orders there were lifted, however.
Scorched trees and burned vehicles and the remains of homes cover the landscape Thursday September 17, 2015, in Anderson Springs, Calif. The Valley fire that sped through Middletown and other parts of rural Lake County, less th…
The new count of 511 homes destroyed by one of the blazes – up from 252 a day earlier – comes as firefighters make significant progress against it.
The Red Cross has opened a shelter at Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Road.
The Lake County inferno has vandalized through 62 square miles in just 12 hours.
According to Cal Fire, a total of five deaths were reported from the two fires.
To the west, the Valley fire in the counties of Lake, Napa and Sonoma is only 53 percent contained and now threatens over 7,000 homes.
Cal Fire says at least 10 homes were damaged or destroyed after the fire started Saturday afternoon.
Heat was descending again on the two deadly and destructive northern California wildfires after a few days of fair and favorable conditions, and it brought with it fears the blazes could come back to life and major gains could be undone.
Scott Mclean, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Friday 100-degree weather was expected for the next couple of days, which he said made it even more necessary to contain those fires immediately. About 19,000 people were ordered to evacuate. The blaze had charred 116 square miles and was 48 percent contained Saturday.
“You’ve got some high temps, high winds that could stir up those ash piles and those ember piles”.
The fires have cost California at least US$244 million (S$341.6 million) since July 1, compared with US$240 million for all of 2013.
Authorities defended their warnings and rescue attempts, saying they did all they could to reach people in the remote area of homes, many prized for their privacy.
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“You may get that notice, or you may not, depending on how rapidly the fire is speeding up and spreading”, Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynnette Round stated.
