Thousands of firefighters are struggling to contain a massive wildfire in rural Northern California.
CAL FIRE says the County Fire, surging through sparsely populated areas of Yolo, Napa and Lake counties northwest of Sacramento, has grown to 70,000 acres as of Tuesday morning. It’s burning largely out of control at just five percent containment.
Officials say about 300 people have been ordered to flee and more than 700 buildings are threatened in the area that’s home to cattle and horse ranches.
CAL FIRE says more than 2,000 firefighters are battling the fast-growing blaze fueled by gusty winds. It erupted Saturday, June 30, and at times has grown by 1,000 acres an hour.
Meanwhile, the Pawnee Fire, which broke out about a week-and-a-half ago in Lake County, has burned 14,900 acres and is now 80 percent contained. Twenty-two structures were destroyed in that fire and 50 more remain threatened. Evacuation orders are still in place for the community of Double Eagle.
