More than a dozen wildfires were burning in northern California Monday, leaving thousands of acres of scorched land in their wake, while crews in Oregon and Washington struggled to contain their own massive blazes. Two of the most damaging fires in California were burning just four miles apart and had burned more than 100 square miles. More than 700 homes were at risk near Burney due to a fire that wasn't contained at all and burning 25,900 acres, Jeff Fontana, an information officer at Susanville fire center said. Three communities were evacuated near that fire, which had already destroyed 28 structures, and residents of another nearby town were forced to leave their homes due to a separate fire that was burning 39,000 acres, Fontana said. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued a state of emergency on Saturday due to the ongoing drought, fires and deteriorating air quality throughout the state.
To the North, a fire that began in Oregon jumped state lines into California and was menacing both states. The Oregon Gulch Fire has burned 27,104 acres in Oregon and 9,464 acres in California and was 20 percent contained, according to officials with CalFire. And in Washington, eight homes were destroyed overnight Sunday into Monday — in a community not far from where 300 homes were destroyed by a wildfire that was still burning 251,000 acres in Okanogan County, according to Incident Commander, Pete Blume.
IN-DEPTH
- California Drought Crisis Reaches Worst Level as It Spreads North
- Emergency Declared in California as Dozen Wildfires Burn
- Yosemite Sequoias Less Threatened by Fire, But Not Out of the Woods
SOCIAL
— Elisha Fieldstadt