Drier, Hot, Windy Weather To Test Containment of NorCal Wildfires
REDDING, Shasta County (AP) — Containment of three big wildfires in Northern California has increased but the potential for a new round of winds this week was a concern, authorities said Monday.
Containment of the 39-square-mile (101-square-kilometer) Lava Fire at the foot of volcanic Mount Shasta jumped to 71% after minimal overnight activity, Shasta-Trinity National Forest said. The remaining evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings.
To the northeast, the nearly 16.5-square-mile (42.7-square-kilometer) Tennant Fire rose to 53%, with evacuation orders and warnings continuing for nearby areas.
"The map's looking fantastic this morning," incident commander Jim Harris told a briefing.
Firefighters were cautioned that the weather would be even drier and wind gusts could hit up to 25 mph (40.2 kph) by Tuesday and they needed to make sure the fire did not jump out of the perimeter.
Two homes were among five buildings burned there.
Containment of the Salt Fire north of the city of Redding increased to 20% and nearby communities remained under evacuation orders and warnings. The fire has destroyed 41 buildings, including 27 homes, since breaking out June 30 near Interstate 5.
According to officials, there are now over 1,400 fire personnel assigned to the Salt Fire. Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place for communities near the fire. The fire is very visible from Interstate 5 and travelers are advised to be cautious around firefighter and aircraft operations in the area.
On Monday afternoon, the fire spotted across the Sacramento River but stayed east of Interstate 5. At the same time, the fire spotted across Mill Road. In both cases, firefighters aggressively suppressed these spots and were able to greatly limit and stop their spread.
In Southern California, a fire that erupted Sunday in mountainous northern Los Angeles County near Gorman remained at 1.5 square miles (4 square kilometers) with 50% containment.
