Crews get upper hand on Jerusalem Fire in Lake County

The wildfire in Napa and Lake counties is burning near the 69,000-acre Rocky Fire, now 99 percent contained, according to CalFire.

The Jerusalem Fire went from 100 to 5,000 acres nearly overnight.

The Jerusalem Fire grew from 16,500 acres Tuesday to 20,500 on Wednesday, Cal Fire said, and it was 16 percent contained.

As weather was expected to worsen fires in some areas, the federal government said it will exhaust its firefighting budget next week.

The Fork Complex Fire, burning in the Yolla Bolly Wilderness north through the Trinity Alps in Trinity County, is 30,154 acres and 32 percent contained.

The blaze that started Monday has been recorded traveling a mile and a half in eight minutes and producing spot fires that expand to more than a square mile in 10 minutes.

At least 150 people remain evacuated.

The Sierra Fire is one of several dozen lightning-caused fires that began in multiple sites on national forest land in Northern California on Saturday.

Empire Mini Storage manager Desiree McAlear said the business in Middletown had received numerous calls and visits from people who wanted to rent units in case they had to evacuate.

“They’re absolutely scared and terrified”, she said. “Right now, we have the luxury of waiting and being patient”.

Gusty winds are expected over the Sierra crest as drier and warmer conditions persist through the weekend.

In Southern California, evacuation orders were lifted as crews continued to surround a small wildfire sparked by a burning motor home in rural Riverside County.

“It’s a flashy fuel, so it burns quickly and moves quickly”, Bonaminio said. Three firefighters were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

Firefighters battling a raging California wildfire near the state’s celebrated wine region turned a corner by Friday as they managed to draw containment lines around half of the blaze ravaging drought-parched brush and dry timber.