CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE TO RAGE FOR ANOTHER MONTH: OFFICIALS
A wildfire burning along California’s Big Sur coastline continues to rage on a week after it broke out, and looks to be a problem for the scenic region for weeks to come.
Hundreds of anxious residents driven from their homes awaited word on their properties and popular parks and trails closed at the height of tourist season because of the blaze, one of several large fires burning across western states. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire has now spanned 124 square kilometres and is 15 per cent contained.
It has destroyed at least 41 homes and put at least 2,000 homes and other buildings at risk. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection estimated it will take until the end of August to extinguish it.
A 35-year-old father of two girls was killed this week when the bulldozer he was operating rolled over on the fire lines.
The famous roadway remained open, but smoke and the threat of flames forced the closure of state parks near Big Sur, a big economic driver for the region.
Another man was killed last week in a wildfire still burning on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Crews have stopped the spread of that 157-square kilometre blaze. The fire command says the blaze is 85 per cent contained Friday, eight days after it broke out.