At least 2,400 people remained under evacuation orders in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties, where the stubborn blaze had destroyed at least 36 residences.
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The massive Soberanes fire, which has been burning near Big Sur since July 22, was 60% contained on Monday and had scorched 86,294 acres – an area more than twice as large as San Francisco.
But the Forest Service said firefighters were ready for the challenge brought by the thunderstorm and successfully kept the fire from advancing on structures in Wofford Heights and Panorama Heights, both above Lake Isabella.
All the park’s main tourist facilities and roads are open Monday, but the fire was creeping toward a key road linking the West Entrance with the park’s interior. A half-dozen other wildfires were burning in the state, including one in central California that destroyed 34 homes and forced the closure of the famed Hearst Castle.
“It’s nearly like the mountains are just doused in gasoline”, said Spelman, who has worked on numerous major wildfires already this year.
On Monday according to Cal Fire Public Information Officer and firefighter out of Riverside California, Diley Greiser, the fire took hold in the South Shore housing development and destroyed an estimated four structures.
About 82,000 people were ordered to leave their properties when the fire broke out Tuesday, 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
Ward says the fire near the town of Richfield is about 27 percent contained and not threatening any homes.
The largest fire in Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming grew to about 35 square miles amid windy, warm weather, but tourists could still visit the popular park during the busy summer season.
On Monday officials estimated the southern edge of the fire was approximately two miles away from the castle.
The agency also said there are liability issues with state and local governments, as more developers are pushing to build homes closer to fire-prone areas. A separate fire has burned at least 37 square miles in the mountains above Santa Barbara.
While firefighters believed the Wellesley Fire was under control Monday, winds are expected to pick up with the Yale Road Fire this afternoon, officials said.
Another wildfire, south of Spokane near the town of Spangle, destroyed at least 10 homes and numerous other buildings Sunday, according to the Washington State Patrol. Fire officials say the blaze was about 3½ miles from the hilltop estate on Saturday.
Shayne Ward of the Utah Division of Forestry says the southern Utah fire had grown to almost five square miles.
Wildfires are raging across several U.S. states, but have hit parched California – a state suffering from a years-long drought – particularly hard. Damage assessments are ongoing.
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The fire in San Luis Obispo County has burned 43 square miles of timber and dry brush since it began August 13. It was 20 percent contained.
