Hundreds forced to flee California blazes
Several destructive, fastmoving wildfires that have erupted in Northern California in recent days were raging Tuesday, burning dozens of homes and forcing hundreds of residents to flee.
One of the most destructive, the 375-acre Boles fire, has burned more than 150 buildings in a small logging town and was 20 percent contained, officials reported Tuesday.
The fire erupted shortly before 1:40 p.m. Monday just south of the town of Weed, not far from the Oregon border, forcing more than1,500 residents to evacuate to the Siskiyou County fairgrounds, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
More than1,500 firefighters were able to control the front line of the fire, but strong winds were making conditions challenging, Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzi Brady said.
Evacuations were also ordered in the nearby communities of Carrick and Lake Shastina.
At least three people have been injured. The cause of the blaze was under investigation, a Cal Fire spokesman said.
To the south, the King fire in the Eldorado National Forest grew significantly overnight, from 8,600 acres to 11,570 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The blaze, which is 5 percent contained, started Saturday evening and was consuming heavy timber in steep terrain.
Meanwhile, the 320-acre Courtney fire, which started Sunday in Madera County, is 40 percent contained but has destroyed 33 homes and damaged four others. An additional 28 outbuildings and 17 vehicles were destroyed.