Watch CBS News

More Than 900 Lightning Strikes Spark More NorCal Wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Firefighters have been making progress against a series of wildfires burning in Northern California, but fire officials say more than 900 lightning strikes late Friday and early Saturday have started more fires throughout the region.

State fire spokesman Daniel Berlant says lightning sparked more than a dozen new fires late Friday and early Saturday, though most of the new fires are small.

Meanwhile, firefighters continue to battle two huge wildfires on national parklands in Northern California.

The nearly 1,200 firefighters struggling to surround the Chips fire in Plumas National Forest have the fire 34 percent contained.

The blaze, 120 miles north of Sacramento, has consumed more than 69 square miles and continues to threaten about 900 homes.

Another fire burning in Shasta-Trinity National Forest is 32 percent contained after consuming more than 43 square miles.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.