Wildfires burn in 7 Western states, prompt evacuations

The Soberanes Fire also burned Kern County Fire Department Engine 21 last Saturday.

The fire is now 25 percent contained and the U.S. Forest Service estimates that full containment of the fire won’t be reached until August 31.

A firefighter was treated for cuts at a Reno hospital Tuesday, but no other injuries were reported. No vineyards in wine country are threatened.

About 800 firefighters remained on the lines Tuesday evening as winds picked up to 15 miles per hour. However, hotter and drier weather with the possibility of thunderstorms is expected beginning Friday and through the weekend. The burn scar had grown to 44,300 acres – larger than the city of San Francisco – and was visible from space as heavy smoke billowed from the mountainous landscape of California’s picturesque Central Coast.

Officials have determined the cause of the Soberanes Fire burning in Monterey County.

A bulldozer operator was also killed on the fire lines during a rollover accident.

Shelters have been set up for people and livestock from about two dozen evacuated residences.

The blaze started Tuesday afternoon and grew to 2.6 square miles in hours.

Meanwhile, crews were making progress on controlling another large wildfire burning in south-central Washington. It’s now mapped at 10.25 square miles in a wilderness study area about 20 miles northwest of Gerlach. Level 3 evacuations were in effect for 50 threatened homes. Another 215 homes were placed on alert due to concerns the fire could blow up Tuesday evening.

(David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP).

Everyone said this would be a brutal fire season, and that prophecy is coming to pass.

Another, farther north near Poodle Mountain, is 80 percent contained.

Winds are forecast later in the day.

Fire spokeswoman Jennifer Myslivy says no evacuations are in place.

Firefighters were bracing for strong winds as they battled a blaze in western Montana that destroyed 14 homes and may have contributed to a man’s death.

The latest perimeter map was just published, showing the fire as it approaches both the northern part of Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest.

The pair admitted they were cultivating 900 marijuana plants that had burned in the fire, but weren’t arrested or cited because of a lack of evidence, Butron said.

The blaze that broke out July 22 has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening 2,000 additional structures. It’s almost 70 percent contained. Higher humidity and lower temperatures on Monday he.

More than 5,000 firefighters are battling the blaze.

California State Parks says there are signs posted near the origin of the fire stating that camping and campfires are illegal in the area.

Firefighters who deal with the most serious and complex fires have been mobilized to attack the fire.

The $60,000 yurt is a round, tent-like structure with a dome roof and plastic skin.

Officials predicted humidity in the single-digits in the Virginia Mountains with wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour. Residents of the rural area surrounded by rolling hills told reporters they scrambled to evacuate with their animals as the wind-driven blaze swept through dry slopes. The lake is closed.

Farther north, firefighters have nearly controlled a 10-square-mile fire in a wilderness study area near where the Burning Man counterculture festival is held.

The blaze has destroyed three homes and is threatening another 400 northeast of Fresno as it heads into its second week.

Flames destroyed six houses and mobile homes, two vehicles and several out-buildings at historic Hardscrabble Ranch, according to Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal officials.

The Cold Fire, burning in Yolo County off of Highway 128 west of Pleasants Valley Road, started shortly after 4:30 p.m., according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.