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California wildfire threatens 5,000 homes after spreading overnight California wildfire burns nearly 46,000 acres as two highways forced to close
(about 1 hour later)
Fire officials said a massive blaze raging in the Lower Lake area north of San Francisco spread overnight, covering more drought-stricken ground. A wildfire along northern California’s inland coastal range has now burned nearly 46,000 acres and forced the closure of two highways, officials said on Sunday, after a second blaze near the Oregon border killed a firefighter.
Related: California wildfires overwhelm drought-stricken state – in picturesRelated: California wildfires overwhelm drought-stricken state – in pictures
Cal Fire said the fast-moving blaze had charred 71 square miles by Sunday morning and was threatening 5,000 homes. It was only 5% contained. The fire has destroyed 24 homes and 26 outbuildings. The Rocky fire in Lake County, north of San Francisco, had grown in size by about 20,000 acres since Saturday, according to Cal Fire, a state website for fire information.
The wildfire has been raging in an area of hills covered in dense brush and oak trees since Wednesday. Cal Fire said an evacuation advisory had been issued affecting 12,000 people and several roads have been closed. The fire closed parts of Highway 20 and Highway 16, destroyed 24 homes and 26 more outbuildings, and threatened an additional 6,301 structures, according to Cal Fire.
The blaze is the biggest of several burning in northern California. A firefighter from South Dakota was killed on Thursday. David Ruhl’s body was recovered on Friday, the same day Governor Jerry Brown declared an emergency for the whole state, which is suffering under extreme drought conditions. Nearly 2,000 firefighters were battling the fire, which broke out on Wednesday and by Sunday was only 5% contained, the same percentage as on Saturday, according to the website. About 12,000 people had been evacuated or were under evacuation advisories.
Ruhl died in the Modoc National Forest, about 100 miles south of the Oregon border. Drought-stricken brush and grasslands have made parts of California vulnerable to wildfires.
Among numerous fires burning in the state is the Frog fire, which officials said killed a firefighter on Thursday. David Ruhl, 38, a married father of two from Rapid City, South Dakota, died while assigned to the fire in the Modoc National Forest near California’s border with Oregon.
Ruhl was alone and working as incident commander on the fire, said Modoc National Forest spokesman Ken Sandusky. It is common for a leader on a fire to travel alone, Sandusky said, but he declined to release more details on the death.
The Frog fire was about 5% contained, had grown to 3,000 acres and erratic winds had pushed it in all directions, according to the US Forest Service’s InciWeb online fire information center.
No updates on the fire were posted on the Forest Service website on Sunday and officials could not be reached for comment.
A red-flag warning, designating the threat of gusty winds that risk fanning flames, was expected to remain in effect until late Sunday in the area of the Frog fire. InciWeb said the flames were not expected to be fully under control until 12 August.
On Friday, Governor Jerry Brown declared an emergency for the whole state.