Massive California wildfire jumps containment line

All evacuation orders have been canceled and no road closures were in place.

Residents in the areas where the fire crossed the containment line had already been evacuated. While early reports indicated the fire was started by a vehicle accident, the cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to CalFire.

Cooler weather had helped crews build a buffer between the wildfire and some of the thousands of homes it threatened as it tore through drought-withered brush as more than 3,000 firefighters were called to help control the massive blaze. The Lake Fire in San Bernardino County burned more than 31,000 acres before it was contained. Also, roofs and gutters must be cleared of pine needles and leaves, which can be ignited by a flying ember.

Many firefighters have gear packed and ready to go.

Two crews of 20 firefighters have each arrived in northern California and will be on the ground for the next two weeks.

Stretches of Highway 20 were closed in both directions, spelling weekend travel misery for motorists.

One Vacaville engine left for the Rocky Fire on July 29.

Drought and summertime heat have only made the wildfire season worse.

County firefighters have also been deployed on mutual aid assignments up north, although specific details were not immediately available. Currently, 6,301 structures are threatened. “I might be one of those people who’ve lost precious things”, she said.

At one point, more than 70 small fires were sparked by lightning in that area. The oaks, conifers and brush in the region haven’t burned before, making conditions more volatile and recovery of the landscape more uncertain.

The flames are feeding on drought-parched vegetation that hasn’t seen fire in many years, Cal Fire says.

A firefighter from South Dakota, Dave Ruhl, 38, was killed on Thursday while fighting the Frog Fire in the Modoc National Forest outside Alturas. “By taking this process out, we’ve opened up all that growing space that fires would have kept in check”.

The Fern Fire in Shasta County, near the community of Whitmore has burned 75 acres and is 95 percent contained. Under this program, trained personnel from other parts of the nation are available to assist Connecticut in the event of a fire emergency or other natural disasters in return for the support of Connecticut personnel when needed.

The biggest of these fires is burning west of Sacramento in the Clear Lake Area.

Several of the most damaging fires now burning are in Northern California.

In fact, the efforts were so successful that Cal Fire was sending some crews back to their stations, and Battalion Chief Greg Neeley said Monday that firefighters were able to reduce their 24-hour shifts to 12 hours.

Monday afternoon Butte County’s biggest fire so far this year was contained.

A thunderstorm is expected over mountain ranges in northern California later this week.

Evacuation advisories have been issued to 13,000 people.