The Rocky fire in Lake County, north of San Francisco has now grown to 20,000 acres since Saturday, says Cal Fire. The wildfire grew so dramatically Saturday night, the U.S. Forest Service was forced to close two major highways.
The fires are only five percent contained and 6,000 people were forced to evacuate. Parts of state Highway 20 and Highway 16 were closed, as well as other roads in the area of the blaze.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters are battling the Rocky fire in a remote area east of Clear Lake. “Firefighters continue to construct fire lines in an effort to achieve full perimeter control,” the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) said in a statement. “Damage assessment teams have begun initial assessments based on access through fire affected areas.”
The Frog Fire wildfire in Alturas is continuing to rapidly spread across containment lines, and now covers about 3,900 acres, with only four percent containment. Rapidly changing wind conditions are making it difficult to control the fire. The Paradise Fire remains north of the Queets River but is continuing to burn extensively. The biggest danger from this fire is the smokey conditions.
In all, about two dozen fires are burning in California, most of them in the northern part of the state. But right over the state line in neighboring Oregon, firefighters are also battling two huge wildfires in the southwestern part of the state.
With over 1,800 firefighters battling blazes in the Stouts Fire and Cow Creek area fire, Governor Kate Brown invoked the Conflagration Act on Thursday evening, bringing in structural firefighters in from around the state to help protect neighborhoods impacted by the wildfires.
Oregon firefighters are dealing with the same conditions as those in California. Hot, dry and windy weather is hampering efforts to get containment of the fires, and in Oregon, evacuation orders under the Ready, Set, Go protocol have been announced. So far, the Level 1, Ready order to remain in place, has been set.
