Thousands evacuated as largest of California wildfires spreads
Story highlights
- Northern California's Rocky Fire is 54,000 acres and spreading
- California's two dozen wildfires are being fueled by drought and lightning
(CNN) California's
largest wildfire is spreading quickly, consuming 54,000 acres in three
counties and staying active throughout the night -- a time when
firefighters typically make progress, a state fire official said Sunday.
The
Rocky Fire was only 5% contained Sunday and was feeding on the state's
drought to grow actively, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
"This
has been a very fast-moving wildfire with the dry conditions and the
weather not really cooperating with us over the past week," Berlant told
CNN affiliate KCRA.
The wildfire was burning in
Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties northwest of Sacramento. More than 12,100
people in more than 5,100 structures were under some type of evacuation
order or advisory as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Cal Fire website.
Almost 2,000 fire personnel, 180 engines, four air tankers and 19 helicopters are battling the Rocky Fire.
Little relief after dark
Nighttime
typically allows firefighters to make headway against wildfires because
humidity will go up and fire activity will die down, but that hasn't
been the case with the Rocky Fire, Berlant said.
"This
fire was very active throughout the night," he told KCRA. "It was
really burning very fast, all the way up into the late hours, so
unfortunately we're really not getting a break."
The
Rocky Fire was one of two dozen wildfires burning in California on
Sunday. More than 8,000 firefighters were involved statewide, helped by
the addition of large air tankers, including at least one National Guard
C-130, Berlant said.
California Gov.
Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday, mobilizing the
National Guard to support the disaster response.
Berlant said the dry conditions mean there's been little benefit from the cooler temperatures over the past week.
Lightning
is also a problem. There have been several thousand lighting strikes
over the past three days, igniting several hundred small wildfires in
the northern part of the state -- and the accompanying thunderstorms
have produced little or no rain, Berlant said.
One fireman was killed in the line of duty.
The U.S. Forest Service confirmed
David Ruhl, a father of two from Rapid City, South Dakota, died
fighting the Frog Fire in Northern California's Modoc National Forest
near Adin. Rescuers found Ruhl's body Friday morning, the Forest Service
said, adding that his death remains under investigation.
Progress in other places
Authorities
reported strides in two other fires: the Willow Fire northeast of North
Fork in the Sierra National Forest and the Cabin Fire east of
Porterville in the Sequoia National Forest.
The
Willow Fire is 60% contained, and firefighters made "good progress"
with a controlled-burn operation intended to deprive the blaze of more
fuel, the South Central Sierra Interagency Incident Management Team
said.
"Air resources will support
ground crew as needed (as) soon as smoke conditions clear and allow for
safe aerial operations," the team said.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for those around the fire, which has already consumed more than 5,600 acres.
The
Cabin Fire, which has burned 2,600 acres since mid-July, remained
relatively calm overnight, but it was only 2% contained, according to a
news release from the Sequoia National Forest.
"If
the weather conditions are favorable today, firefighters may begin
strategic firing operation near Pecks (Canyon) to remove unburned fuels
between the fire line and the main fire in the afternoon," the statement
said.
Neither the Willow nor the Cabin fires has destroyed any structures, but six people have been injured in the Willow Fire.
Fires big and small
The fires vary in size. The White Fire in Santa Barbara County is about 50 acres, and the deadly Frog Fire has consumed at least 3,900 acres since it was spotted Thursday and is just 4% contained. The recently snuffed-out Lake Fire in San Bernandino County burned more than 31,000 acres before it was contained.
Cal
Fire says most of the fires are more than 60% contained. However, the
land damage has been substantial in some cases. Fires in Southern
California's San Bernardino County and Northern California's Alpine
County have incinerated nearly 50,000 acres.
California's record-setting drought has "turned much of the state into a tinderbox," Brown said.
Temperatures
in Sacramento and other areas of Northern California, where many of the
fires are located, have topped 100 degrees recently.
California wildfires claim first victim 03:03