Evacuation order lifted in N. California wildfire
Evacuation order lifted in N. California wildfire
4 August 2009
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USA — More than 1,100 firefighters in California have responded to a series of lightning-sparked fires that had threatened some homes in rural Shasta County.
Fire officials said 41 separate fires that consumed about 1,258 acres were 10 percent contained Monday. The number of acres burned was slightly lower than officials previously estimated.
Authorities lifted an evacuation order Monday as firefighters cleared vegetation around homes in the Big Eddy Estates and Sam Wolfin Springs, a rural area about 160 miles north of Sacramento.
Firefighters will likely face strong wind gusts and temperatures in the 90s on Tuesday, said CalFire spokeswoman Hope Barton.
Crews also were fighting blazes in Lassen and Tuolumne counties.
A wildfire burning in Lassen National Forest along Highway 89 had consumed about 500 acres and prompted the closure of a stretch of the highway. A second 1,600-acre fire in the county was 50 percent contained, with full containment expected by Friday.
The chance of more lightning had decreased, but firefighters battling the Lassen County fires were bracing for windy conditions Tuesday that could spread the flames, said Jeff Fontana with the Bureau of Land Management.
In Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County, a fire that began July 26 had grown to 4,700 acres as firefighters struggled in steep, rugged terrain, CalFire spokeswoman Alison Hesterly said.
Three people have been injured, including a firefighter who broke his foot.
Crews helped by low temperatures, relatively calm winds and high humidity had the fire 45 percent contained, Hesterly said.
The cause was under investigation.
Cindy Nugent, general manager of Calaveras Timber Trails, an RV campground in Avery, said a few people left last week because of the smoke, but business was otherwise not affected.
“It’s very smoky and hazy in the mornings, and then as the day progresses it clears up pretty good,” she said.
