The
Klamathon Fire began on Thursday and, within hours, quickly grew
from 1,000 to 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares), the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in an advisory.
The fire destroyed an unknown number of structures and forced
residents in the small communities of Hornbrook, Hilt and
Colestein Valley to flee as flames crossed Interstate 5 near the
California and Oregon border, local media reported.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency
for the area, allowing state resources to be devoted to fighting
the wildfire and keeping people safe.
The Klamathon Fire was one of more than three dozen wildfires
that firefighters were battling in California and across the
U.S. West during the unusually active fire season.
Fires burned through nearly 2.5 million acres in the United
States from Jan. 1 through Monday, above the average of about
2.3 million acres for the same period over the last 10 years,
according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Firefighting efforts across the region has been hampered by
blistering temperatures, low humidity and erratic winds,
officials warned.
Crews made tried on Thursday to cut containment lines around the
County Fire, which has already burned across some 135 square
miles in Northern California. Nine structures have been destroy
and some 100 homes were said to be in danger.
That fire, which broke out on Saturday about 45 miles northwest
of Sacramento, so far has largely burned away from populated
areas and was 33 percent contained, officials said.
In Colorado, nine major wildfires have burned more than 198,000
acres, according to the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center.
Crews battling the Spring Fire got a respite from the hot
temperatures on Thursday, with rain forecast to move over the
region, although heavy downpours could trigger flash flooding
over the burn scar, according to InciWeb, a federal wildfire
website.
Near Aspen, the Lake Christine fire has covered more than 5,000
acres and destroyed three homes in the town of EL Jebel, the
Eagle County Sheriff's Office said. The fire has not been
contained and some 500 people have been ordered to evacuate.
(Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, editing
by Larry King)
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