California wine country fire contained

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A Northern California wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings and forced thousands of people to evacuate in the state’s wine country is now fully contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday.

The fire, which ignited on Oct. 23 and drove nearly 200,000 people from their homes, destroyed 174 homes and 200 other buildings. It charred 121 square miles.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it’s possible electrical equipment belonging to the state’s largest utility was involved.

Pacific Gas & Electric had cut power to a large number of customers to prevent equipment from starting fires in windy weather, but it didn’t de-energize a transmission tower near where the fire started.

Separately, three firefighters received minor injuries as they battled a wildfire that has been burning in another fire that began in another part of the state on Sunday. Officials said the firefighters were all treated and released.

More than 1,200 firefighters are trying to tamp down the 6-square-mile blaze in steep terrain northwest of Paradise, where the deadliest wildfire in state history ignited a year ago today.

The fire and forestry agency said the blaze was a third contained as of Thursday.