Southern California wildfire evacuees allowed to return home

For many California residents, this sort of fire is becoming business as usual. The advisory remains in effect through Thursday. It was, however, a threat to vegetation in watersheds important to supplies on the south coast of Santa Barbara County.

Five days after an explosive wildfire in Southern California drove thousands from their homes, authorities lifted all evacuation orders on Sunday to allow them to return. The fire has destroyed 57 homes and charred 345 square kilometres, authorities said.

The Clayton Fire in the northern Clear Lake region – near the Sonoma and Napa wine regions-measures some 4,000 acres and is 95 percent contained. Additional evacuation warnings were issued Wednesday. More people returned to their homes Friday as firefighters made significant progress against a huge wildfire burning in Southern California’s San Bernardino National Forest, but that was tempered by the announcement that at least 96 homes and 213 outbuildings were destroyed.

In Big Sur, firefighters continue to camp out along the rugged edges of the Soberanes fire, which grew another 1,400 acres over the weekend for a total of 85,212 acres burned since it started a month ago.

Almost 1,900 structures were listed as threatened and about 2,500 people remained under evacuation orders on Monday. It was 20 percent contained.

It’s one of four fires burning in Yellowstone, and warm, windy weather was expected again Monday. It’s between West Yellowstone, Montana, a town just outside the park’s western boundary, and Madison Junction within the park.

A spate of fires throughout the USA state of California have left people displaced and thousands of square kilometres of vegetation destroyed. Thirty horses also have been evacuated. Evacuation centers will remain open.

The fire has burned 31 square miles and destroyed 48 structures since it began August 13.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office says evacuations are in place with up to 70 buildings along U.S. Highway 26 threatened.

There are 34 hand crews, 102 fire engines from several different stations and departments, 14 bulldozers, nine water tenders and nine helicopters still battling the blaze Monday, fire officials said in a statement.

On the eastern side, firefighters had had the “exact opposite thing going on”, with “exceptionally low” humidity, dry brush and fast-moving flames that have been a staple of this busy fire season, Spelman said.

Six other wildfires were burning in the state, including one in San Luis Obispo County.

CAJON PASS Firefighters continue to gain ground on the Blue Cut fire holding its spread and increasing containment to 89 percent, fire officials said Monday morning.

Dozens of wildfires that have blackened hundreds of square miles raged in the arid U.S. West on Tuesday, as destructive blazes forced residents from homes in California and Washington state.