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Wildfires continue to devastate northern California forests as scorching heat and severe drought create ideal conditions for conflagrations.
The river fire, which started about 20 miles southwest of Yosemite National Park on Sunday afternoon, exploded to 2,500 acres in just hours and had spread to 9,000 acres on Monday. evening, officials from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. .
More than 450 people – some using tankers – were battling the blaze, which was 10% contained and destroyed four structures, Cal Fire spokesman Jaime Williams said.
Mandatory evacuation orders and warnings were in place in parts of Madera and Mariposa counties. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Cal Fire said.
“They always do an aggressive attack on that fire,” said Williams. “With the cooler temperatures we hope to have even more work tonight. “
Dangerous heat, persistent drought and low humidity are preparing California for extreme fire behavior, experts say.
North of the river fire, the lightning-induced Beckwourth Complex fire, which includes the huge Sugar Blaze, has reached 89,748 acres. The Sugar fire, which started on July 2, more than doubled in size over the weekend, reaching 89,078 acres, according to Plumas National Forest officials. It is now the biggest state fire of the season so far.
The blaze, which burns north of Lake Tahoe, has spread most quickly to the north side, said Kimberly Kaschalk, information officer with the California 4 incident management team. is 23% under control, with much of its southern flank under control. .
The other fire in the Beckwourth Complex fire – the Dotta fire – started on June 30 and charred 670 acres. It was 99% content on Monday.
Authorities have received reports that the Sugar fire is destroying homes in several communities, Lisa Cox of the US Forest Service, public information officer for the Beckwourth Complex fire, said on Sunday. As of Monday evening, no new official figure had been released. A video posted on social media showed houses on fire in the town of Doyle. A damage assessment team was working on a tally.
The Plumas County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders for Frenchman Lake and Dixie Valley. The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office on Monday reduced several evacuation orders to warnings for areas that include the town of Herlong and the roads connecting Doyle Loop and Hackstaff Road to Laver Crossing.
Parts of the town of Doyle and the area west of Route 395 are still subject to evacuation orders. An evacuation shelter has been installed at the Lassen County Fairgrounds.
Times editor Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.
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