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Experts predict
an unusually active and destructive wildfire season in
California, as the state grapples with a fourth year of
crippling drought.
The Wragg Fire near Lake Berryessa, some 75 miles (121 km)north
of San Francisco, was sparked around 2:30 p.m. by a vehicle
accident, according to CalFire, the California Department of
Forestry and Fire Prevention.
The fire had expanded to 4,000 acres (1,618 hectares) in about
eight hours, and was 5 percent contained, CalFire said.
The blaze shut down part of a highway and was threatening 150
homes and other structures, it said.
Evacuation orders were issued in several rural areas and a
campground, but it was not clear how many people were forced to
leave.
CalFire said 300 firefighters and four helicopters had been
dispatched to battle the blaze as it cut across rugged, steep
and brush-covered terrain.
Shortly after the blaze broke out, three hikers were rescued
from an area south of the lake, CalFire said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Erratic winds made fighting the fire more difficult, officials
said.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner and Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by
Mohammad Zargham and Clarence Fernandez)
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