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Thousands flee, homes gutted in US wildfire
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An explosive wildfire burned largely unchecked yesterday after incinerating homes, apartment blocks and hundreds of other buildings as it raced through rural communities in Northern California’s Lake County, leaving at least one person dead and sending thousands fleeing down flame-lined streets.
A second massive wildfire, less than 320 kilometers away is blamed for destroying 135 homes as it spread through the Sierra Nevada. That fire was 30 percent contained.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confirmed on Sunday one fatality in the Lake County wildfire that raced through dry brush and exploded in size within hours. In addition to the homes, officials also counted two apartment complexes and 10 businesses destroyed by the flames, department spokeswoman Lynn Valentine said.
By yesterday morning, crews had gained 5 percent containment of the 150km blaze. In addition, up to 1,000 structures such as barns, sheds and other buildings were burned, said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant.
The fire erupted on Saturday afternoon and rapidly chewed through brush and trees parched from four years of drought. Entire towns as well as residents along a 56km stretch of State Route 29 were evacuated. Governor Jerry Brown on Sunday declared a state of emergency to free up resources. Brown had already declared a state of emergency for the separate 290-square km wildfire about southeast of Sacramento that has turned the grassy, tree-studded Sierra Nevada foothills an eerie white.
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