Fire officials say 250 additional homes burned in wildfire

The two major blazes, which together have destroyed more than 800 homes, have been significantly diminished in cooler, wetter weather, and firefighters were working to extend fire lines before an expected hot weekend arrives.

The fire is burning in Amador and Calaveras counties.

The fire is 63 percent contained.

Firefighters and sheriff’s officials were on hand to help, and officials said some evacuees would return to see their homes standing while others would find their properties devastated by flames from the Valley Fire.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, aka Cal Fire, the so-called Butte Fire, spread out across Calaveras and Amador counties, burned 70,760 acres, destroyed 503 homes and killed two people between its beginning 10 days ago and Saturday morning, when it was 65 percent contained.

“You may get that notice, or you may not, depending on how fast that fire is moving”.

Of three people killed in the Valley fire and two in the Butte fire, the youngest victims are believed to be in their 60s.

A separate blaze in Lake County, about 170 miles northwest, has destroyed 888 structures, at least 585 of them homes.

“This is a traumatic situation for them, so we just want to make sure we’re there for them to provide information and so they have a shoulder to cry on”, Cordova said. Evacuation orders for other areas in Lake County remained in effect.

Evacuation orders will be lifted at noon on Sunday for Hidden Valley Lake, Jerusalem Grade, Grange Road and Butts Canyon Road.

She asked McWilliams if she wanted to leave but the retired teacher declined, saying the fire didn’t seem bad.

The body of former newspaper reporter Leonard Neft, 69, was found near his burnt auto after what may have been an attempt to escape, his daughter Joselyn Neft said Friday.

“None of that happened”, he said. His wife had asked him to leave earlier Saturday, but he said the fire looked far away.

Shirley Burns said her 65-year-old brother-in-law might have been sleeping in his trailer and didn’t realize the fire was speeding toward him on Saturday. It’s unknown why he stayed. His house in Lake County burned after he finally rounded up his cats and left.

Many trees charred by the fire are in danger of falling down and are being removed as needed, Rubinstein said.

When the fire hit his street around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Herrin said, he and several others used water from wells and swimming pools to battle flames, saving eight homes.