Blue Cut Fire 83 percent contained; all evacuation orders lifted

Officials have said the fire displayed unprecedented growth in its first few days.

A highway leading into Yellowstone National Park remains closed because of a wildfire burning in neighboring Grand Teton National Park in northwest Wyoming.

The fire peaked just above 37,000 acres, but by Tuesday, Aug. 23, it was down to 36,274 acres.

Whipped the winds and feeding off the bone-dry terrain, the blaze that began around 4 p.m. on August 13 is now moving north and northeast toward Monterey County, the PIO said.

“What we need to do is to treat fires more like the natural disasters that they are, and allow the agency – the forest service – to draw on an emergency fund so we don’t have to rob Peter to pay Paul”, he says.

“What we’re trying to do is give them enough space on the property so they can set backfires” to burn away dry fuels, he said. The Hearst Castle Fire Department and maintenance and ground crews had also cleared brush and other vegetation around the perimeter.

Fire officials say that fire is burning in the opposite direction of the historic landmark and that the blaze is 35 percent contained.

Milloy said fire crews will make extra efforts to protect a home where they know somebody made a decision to stay behind, and this can pull resources from protecting surrounding properties.

At Hearst Castle, the museum collections and curatorial staff had covered windows and placed towels along door frames to prevent smoke damage, according to Rob Chambers, a State Parks supervising ranger.

Cal Fire said Wednesday that the 10-day-old blaze has charred almost 64 square miles of dry brush and timber.

So far, the fire has destroyed 48 structures and damaged an additional seven.

The fire forced I-15 – the main artery between the Inland Empire and the High Desert – to shutter for more than a day.

Overnight, firefighters fully contained the destructive Blue Cut Fire that destroyed more than 100 homes last week in San Bernardino County.

‘This fire did not go through a dense community, like some fires do, ‘ fire spokesman Costa Dillon said Sunday.

Mandatory evacuations remained in place for the communities of Running Deer Ranch, Tri-County, Cal Shasta, Rancho de Lago, and South Shore Village.

By Wednesday the fire had grown to 8,000 acres with 25% containment.

The blaze – which was sparked by an abandoned, illegal campfire – has destroyed 57 buildings and 11 other structures and killed a bulldozer operator who was helping to fight it.

Cal Fire updated the acreage burned in San Luis Obispo County’s Chimney Fire to 5400 acres on Monday night.

Firefighters are battling to bring some half-dozen active fires raging across California under control.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Sunday residents in the Lytle Creek area will be allowed back to their properties.

The wildfire started Saturday and is burning southwest of Lake Nacimiento in mostly grass and drought stressed-oak woodlands. Firefighters were going from property to property in the areas most heavily hit to tackle any lingering flames and hot spots.