California blazes keep growing; Yosemite to partly reopen
SAN FRANCISCO — With a new round of weather warnings in place for the weekend, firefighters continued their battle to prevent the deadly wildfires burning in Northern California from growing, officials said Saturday.
The Mendocino Complex — two blazes that together rank as the largest wildfire in California history — surged by more than 12,000 acres overnight to 325,226 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The blaze was 67 percent contained.
Firefighters worked overnight to keep the fire within the Mendocino National Forest. The blaze already has scarred parts of Colusa, Mendocino and Lake counties, Cal Fire officials reported. The northern part of the Ranch Fire, the larger of the two blazes, continued to grow as firefighters were unable to gain access to the flames due to the difficult terrain.
The Ranch Fire has consumed 276,306 acres — 17,000 acres more than by Friday — and was 58 percent contained.
Firefighters patrolled the River Fire, the second of the blazes, throughout the night. It remained steady at 48,920 acres and was 92 percent contained. Cal Fire lifted the mandatory evacuation order for all areas south of Mendocino National Forest in Lake County on Friday evening. The forest itself remained closed.
Some evacuations orders also were lifted in Colusa County.
In Shasta County, the Carr Fire has burned 186,416 acres and was 55 percent contained, Cal Fire said. Firefighters worked to mop up hot spots and build stronger containment lines around the blaze as conditions threatened to trigger spot fires.
More than 1,000 homes, 22 commercial buildings and 500 other structures have been destroyed in the fire.
Meanwhile, crews managed to keep the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite Valley from surging. The blaze has burned 95,544 acres and was 82 percent contained by Saturday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
After nearly three weeks, park officials have announced that Yosemite Valley would reopen on Tuesday.