Western Wildfires

Aided by calmer winds, a mandatory evacuation zone of 900 homes dropped to 131.

"What we’re seeing today is exceeding any of our personal fire behavior predictions," a local fire official said.

No injuries have been reported. An estimated 20 or more homes may have burned and mandatory evacuations were issued for parts of Laguna Niguel.

Residents in parts of three counties were told to prepare to evacuate as the massive blaze moved north.

He pleaded no contest to causing a fire that damaged or destroyed 14 homes and killed several animals, as the separate Almeda Fire burned.

“It’s more than just your place or your personal belongings and your material things. This is your land, your soul connected to it generationally,” said local doctor Matthew Probst.

The Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire was 20 percent contained Wednesday morning, while the Cooks Peak Fire was 89 percent contained, fire authorities reported.

The Biden administration is investing in protecting at-risk private property from wildfires, but the challenge outweighs the resources, and the clock is ticking.

Crews were tackling more than a dozen large fires Friday nationwide, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The Biden administration has promised to increase pay and benefits for wildland firefighters, but the Forest Service is struggling to fill vacancies heading into another active fire season.

The Tunnel Fire has burned more than 6,000 acres near Flagstaff, and the Crooks Fire near Prescott was estimated at 750 acres, authorities said.