SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people were told to leave their homes Sunday as a growing wildfire burning out of control in thick forest threatened rural communities in far Northern California.
SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people were told to leave their homes Sunday as a growing wildfire burning out of control in thick forest threatened rural communities in far Northern California.
The fire that started Saturday has destroyed seven homes and consumed nearly 19 square miles near the towns of Manton, Shingletown and Viola, fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. About 3,000 homes spread out across a rural area along the border of Tehama and Shasta counties were threatened as the fire continued to expand, he said.
“A good majority are immediately threatened, and a good number are in the path of the fire,” Berlant said Sunday. “We will be battling it hard today to protect as many of those homes as possible.”
The fire’s cause had not been determined, but officials said it started after a series of lightning strikes in the area.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters were battling the flames.
No part of the blaze was contained Sunday evening, and fire activity had picked up, Berlant said.
John Cluff, 42, told the Redding Record Searchlight that he was forced to flee his home before the evacuations were issued.
“The fire basically chased me out of the property,” he said. “All I could see was black smoke and flames.”
Meanwhile, a massive wildfire that has been burning in the Plumas National Forest since July 29 grew larger Saturday and Sunday as strong winds pushed the flames past fire lines on the fire’s northeast edge.
“Winds picked up, and it got very dry in the afternoon,” fire spokesman Brad Pitassi said. “It made a good push in that area”
The blaze, about 120 miles north of Sacramento, has consumed nearly 70 square miles and continued to threaten about 900 homes. The fire is 38 percent contained, with full containment expected Aug. 31.
Also in California, a wildfire in Lassen Volcanic National Park was 51 percent contained after consuming more than 43 square miles. Officials expected firefighters would have the blaze contained by Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the West, fires also continued to rage.
— In Idaho, more than 1,100 firefighters worked to protect some 350 homes in the Featherville area under an evacuation order because of the 138-square-mile Trinity Ridge Fire.
Thunderstorms brought erratic winds and lightning strikes to the area Sunday. But as of 8 p.m., the blaze had made no significant moves toward the recreation getaway in the mountains about 105 miles northeast of Boise, fire spokesman Steve Till said Sunday.
A lightning strike sparked a small fire east of Featherville, but firefighters who were staged nearby were able to quickly extinguish it.
Till said the human-caused Trinity Ridge Fire has destroyed four outbuildings and four U.S. Forest Service structures. It was 5 percent contained. Crews planned to continue building a line around the fire’s northwest and southwest sides Monday.
— In Washington state, better weather over the weekend helped firefighters gain ground on a fire that has scorched dozens of homes near Cle Elum, about 75 miles east of Seattle.
Jessica Payne, a spokeswoman for the Taylor Bridge fire, said Sunday that lightning strikes hadn’t materialized as previously feared. Fire officials expect the wildfire to be contained Monday if the weather remains favorable. The fire broke a week ago at a bridge construction project and has burned more than 23,000 acres of grass, sagebrush and timber in rural areas.
— In Utah, evacuation orders were lifted east of Park City as firefighters contained a wildfire near Jordanelle State Park. But crews were dispatched to another Wasatch County blaze Sunday afternoon where 60-foot flames were reported in Daniels Canyon.
The Whiskey Springs Fire has burned more than 180 acres, and no part of it was contained, county officials said Sunday evening.
A helicopter was releasing water on the fire, and tanker plane had arrived to drop retardant. Additional crews were expected Monday morning.
The Fox Bay Fire that started Saturday near Jordanelle Reservoir burned at least 550 acres but was 100 percent contained Sunday. Residents returned to their homes in the Fox Bay, Stillwater and Shores areas, and state park visitors were allowed to retrieve their property.
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Associated Press reporters Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Keith Ridler in Boise, Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev., and Phuong Le in Seattle contributed.