Rocky Fire rages in northern California, driving thousands from their homes
By Megan Specia | MashableA massive wildfire raging in northern California has prompted thousands of evacuations as it rips through three counties in the drought-stricken state.
The blaze, dubbed the Rocky Fire, spread to 60,000 acres by Monday morning and was just 12% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
It has quickly spread into three counties — Lake, Yolo and Colusa — since it first began six days ago in the Lower Lake area north of San Francisco.
More than 2,900 firefighters have been deployed to the Rocky Fire to get the fire under control. More than 12,190 local residents have been evacuated from homes in the area. So far, 24 houses have been destroyed by the fire since it began on July 29; Cal Fire estimates it will be at least another week before the fire is contained.
California is suffering its worst drought in modern history, and this summer's drough conditions are the fourth in a row that the state has experienced. The Rocky Fire is just one of many burning across the state, where more than 9,000 firefighters were working to halt them; smoke from the fires could even be seen from space.
Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for California and activated the California National Guard to help with disaster recovery. On Sunday, the state secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to aid in gaining access to resources to suppress the fires. Wildfires have been running far above average so far this year, with fears of even more destructive blazes to come in the late summer and early fall.
The photos below appear starting with the most recent ones.
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