Northern California wildfire still growing

LOS ANGELES — The Mendocino Complex Fire, the largest wildfire in modern California history, continued to grow overnight into Monday, prompting evacuations in Glenn County.

Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order Sunday night for areas west of County Road 306 to the Lake County line, including the Mendocino National Forest area from the Colusa County line to County Road 308. Portions of Lake, Mendocino and Colusa counties remain under mandatory evacuation, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Ranch and River fires, which make up the complex fire, had burned 398,862 acres as of Monday morning. Firefighters treated the Ranch and River fires as one event, even though the two fires never merged.

The River Fire is fully contained, but steep, inaccessible terrain, erratic winds and low humidity have made the Ranch blaze difficult to control, said Capt. Cary Wright, a Cal Fire spokesman.

The Ranch Fire is 74 percent contained, Cal Fire officials said Monday.

Wright said the fire continued to chew through dry brush even as humidity increased overnight, when firefighters typically gain traction battling massive wildfires.

Fire officials geared up for a tough fight Monday, when humidity was expected to drop further and temperatures were predicted to climb in the afternoon.

“The fire activity has been unpredictable,” Wright said. “We have to get through the next 24 hours. It’s going to be pretty dangerous conditions.”

Many of the nearly 3,500 firefighters battling the Ranch blaze aren’t familiar with the steep terrain in the area, which has made battling the blaze more difficult and dangerous, Wright said. The dense timber and brush in the area provide continuous fuel for flames and make it arduous for firefighters to access the area safely.

“Trees burn and then fall, so it’s dangerous to get ground resources in there,” Wright said. The dense brush also makes water and retardant drops by plane less effective.

Crews are on especially high alert after Matthew Burchett, a firefighter who traveled from Draper City, Utah, to help battle the blaze, died last week while working on an active stretch. Burchett’s funeral was to be held Monday at the Maverick Center in West Valley City, Utah, according to The Associated Press.

“The message at this morning’s briefing was to make sure all the crews have lookouts and are keeping their head on a swivel,” Wright said.

Firefighters hope to gain momentum later in the week as lower temperatures roll into the area. The Mendocino blaze has destroyed 157 homes since it broke out nearly a month ago.

Years of drought have created ripe conditions for large-scale wildfires that spread rapidly. Of the five largest wildfires in state history, four have occurred since 2012.

The Front Fire, which broke out Sunday in the Los Padres National Forest in the Santa Maria area, has burned 1,000 acres and was 10 percent contained as of Monday.

The blaze, which brought 700 firefighters to the area, forced the closure of state Route 166 between Santa Maria and Cuyama in both directions Monday, according to Santa Barbara County officials.

In Redding, the Carr Fire has claimed eight lives and more than 1,000 homes as it grew to 229,651 acres as of Monday morning. The fire is 88 percent contained.

The Holy Fire, which has charred 22,887 acres in Riverside and Orange counties is 92 percent contained as of Monday, according to Cal Fire officials.