The fire has topped 90,000 acres now, but firefighting personnel are down to under 1500, after being up well over 4,000 at one point several weeks ago.
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Monterey – Even though the two major wildfires plaguing Monterey County are now only about 50 miles apart, fire officials are not anxious they will merge, mostly because of the containment lines being built around the Soberanes conflagration.
About 1,800 firefighters are fighting the blaze Thursday that’s burning in remote, mountainous country near Lowman.
Continuing hot weather and high winds were expected to cause the fire to grow.
The communities of Oak Shores, Christmas Cove, South Shore Village, Rancho Del Lago, Cal Shasta, Bryson Hesperia and Lake San Antonio remain threatened by the fire.
Some tourists heading to Yellowstone National Park during the busy summer season are facing an hourlong detour Wednesday as a wildfire in neighboring Grand Teton National Park kept a highway closed.
Hearst Castle, the palatial ocean-view estate popular among tourists, remained closed because of its proximity to the flames, but officials say they are increasingly confident it will be spared.
The fire has now scorched more than 45,000 acres and destroyed 70 homes and structures. It has destroyed 49 homes and 21 other structures. It is 60 percent contained. So far, 27,000 acres have burned.
On Sunday afternoon, officials announced that Highway 1 would be closed for at least 24 hours due to fire activity.[3] Dry south-west winds and temperatures approaching 100 °F drove the fire.
“The devastating fire jumped the Spokane River from Lincoln County onto the Spokane reservation in three separate locations”, Sijohn said.
Authorities ordered people in a rural area of northwestern Montana to evacuate before dawn Monday after a wildfire doubled in size in one day.
Some 20 homes and other buildings were threatened, and other residents were told that the evacuation area may spread. “What happens is that, whether it’s in Northern California or Southern California, Cal Fire or Emergency Services will take that order and farm it out to the different agencies”, Dettorre said. Fire officials are projecting full containment of the blaze by September 3.
Another fire south of Spokane, in the Valleyford area, was 50 percent contained. By using proven, existing lines, “updating them and clearing the brush off”, it is likely that “as the fire continues to grow, when it hits the end, it will all wrap up quickly at the very end”.
The wildfire, which has been burning since August 13, has now charred 45,108 acres.
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The blaze in Grand Teton park made a 5-mile run on Monday, forcing closure of a 10-mile stretch of US 89-191-287 that leads into Yellowstone’s South Entrance. It had burned more than 10 square miles and destroyed at least five homes, officials said.
