Across the state, more than 134,000 acres have been torched by the ongoing fires, according to Cal Fire.
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“This is the number one priority wildfire in the state of California, so it is getting the lion’s share of resources”, said Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Hugo Patino, who has a crew on the lines.
More than 13,000 people have been forced to evacuate or warned to leave since the blaze ignited Wednesday. A series of wildfires were intensified by dry vegetation, triple-digit temperatures and gusting winds.
The blaze charring more than 90 square miles of steep rocky terrain, nearly double the area of San Francisco. The fire – the largest blaze in drought-stricken California – roughly tripled in size over the weekend. The Highway 20 corridor will be closed to traffic from New Long Valley Road all the way to Highway 53. In Alaska, the fires have eaten through an area that’s larger than the state of Connecticut.
“This fire is doing things that nobody’s ever seen before”. “Our courageous firefighters are on the front lines and we’ll do everything we can to help them.” “It’s just insane”, Nikki Shatter of Clear Lake told KCAL-TV.
Even though the temperature dropped into the 80s Sunday and the humidity was up, the fire continued to advance.
Wildfires are also burning in Washington and Oregon.
What sparked the Rocky Fire remained under investigation, but the blaze was one of more than 20 conflagrations across the state following thousands of lightning strikes in recent days, said Cal Fire Captain Kendal Bortisser.
“It’s the Rocky Fire that continues to really be a fast-moving fire that definitely continue toss challenge us today”, Calfire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.
Her place is called Ravens Haven, and she considers it a retreat for artists and musicians to escape into Mother Nature.
Cal Fire says an evacuation advisory has been issued affecting 12,000 people in a sweeping region of ranches and small rural communities. His body was recovered Friday.
At the so-called Frog Fire, about an hour’s drive from the northern border, a fire fighter died Saturday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Part of a Black Hills National Forest firefighting team, Ruhl had been helping California firefighters since June.
The Wragg Fire which burned over 8,000 acres in Napa and Solano Counties is 95 percent contained as of this morning.
In a separate foothills blaze northeast of Sacramento, evacuation orders were lifted for residents of 50 homes.
Levi Gelnet of the state Bureau of Forestry, says these highly trained firefighters are one step below what’s known as a Hotshotcrew.
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The fire destroyed at least 24 homes and 26 outbuildings.
