The Blue Cut Fire outside of Los Angeles is now more than 80 percent contained, and the 82,000 people who were displaced by the blaze can now return home.
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Hearst Castle closes occasionally due to bad weather, but State Parks supervising ranger Robert Chambers said he couldn’t recall a time when it closed because of a wildfire.
In San Bernardino County, firefighters have pretty well contained the 37,000-acre Blue Cut Fire after it destroyed at least 96 homes and 213 outbuildings.
The fire is burning over a large area that has created dramatically different firefighting conditions on either side of the blaze, he said. NPR’s Nathan Rott tells our Newscast unit that more than 300 crews were pulled off the fire as it dwindled.
Firefighters are attempting to pinpoint what caused the Chimney Fire to ignite near Lake Nacimiento in San Luis Obispo County before flames spread toward Hearst Castle to the south, Monterey County to the north, and devoured 40,000 acres.
Officials in Las Vegas are blaming poor air quality and a smoky haze in southern Nevada on wildfires in coastal and mountain areas of California.
While Hearst Castle remains threatened with all public tours cancelled for the rest of the week, the fire is moving north away from the popular tourist destination and San Simeon.
That fire grew to almost 38 square miles on Sunday and was 35 per cent contained.
In less than a day after igniting, a Southern California wildfire, burning uncontrollably, has engulfed 18,000 acres.The size of the fire is roughly 28 square miles.
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.
The fire in San Luis Obispo County has burned 43 square miles of timber and dry brush since it began August 13. Fire officials say the blaze was about 3 ½ miles from the hilltop estate on Saturday.
“Our efforts, combined with the weather, are contributing to the delay of the fire’s movement”, said Stephen Hearst, vice president and general manager of Hearst’s Western Properties, referring to ranch staff members working with Cal Fire.
More than 400 homes remained threatened by the fire. It was 20 percent contained.
So far, the fire has destroyed 48 structures and damaged an additional seven.
MaryEllen Fitzgerald of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest said Tuesday the fire near the Utah-Idaho state line is within a quarter-mile of Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, which is on pre-evacuation notice.
Veteran fire officials said property loss in the area could have been much worse, but credited early deployment of firefighters and equipment for limiting damage.
It roared toward the town of Wellpinit, forcing the evacuation of the entire town on Sunday.
All evacuations have been lifted and all major roads are open, save for a small number of dirt roads in the area, said Forest Service spokesman John Miller. The fire is 39 percent surrounded after being stuck at 35 percent for several days.
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Cal Fire officials classified the Chimney Fire’s behavior as “extreme”, with varying micro-climates, strong wind gusts, and a steep, rugged location.
