A wind shift caused the fire to cross a containment line in the afternoon, leading authorities to issue evacuation orders for several communities north and west of Lake Nacimiento, about 180 miles northwest of Los Angeles, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Mike Yuli.
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The fire in San Luis Obispo county has destroyed 48 structures and burned more than 8,000 hectares since August 13 and is about four kilometers from from the popular tourist attraction that houses a large art collection that belonged to William Randolph Hearst.
Fire officials say the blaze was about 3 1/2 miles from the hilltop estate on Saturday. State Parks supervising ranger Robert Chambers tells CBS 5 he can’t recall any other time that a fire forced the closure of Hearst Castle, saying, “A fire has never come this close before”. She said the state agency has a fire management plan and emergency plan in place to protect the landmark.
The Clayton Fire that destroyed almost 200 homes in Lake County is now 80 percent contained at 3,929 acres.
Meanwhile, officials say the Blue Cut wildfire in Southern California that has destroyed more than 300 homes and outbuildings is 80 percent contained.
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It was another successful night in the battle against a massive wildfire in Southern California that has destroyed at least 96 homes. The fire has burned more than 15,000 hectares in the mountain areas of San Bernardino County 120 kilometers northeast of Los Angeles. Since Friday, all evacuations have been lifted. On Saturday, firefighters planned to back burn from North Coast Ridge Road in attempt to halt the fire’s growth, but weather conditions were not ideal.
