Fears dry heat and wind could undo progress of containing wildfire that threatens thousands of homes in north of state
Associated Press in San Francisco
Tuesday 23 September 2014 12.34 EDT
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Crews nearly doubled containment of a northern California wildfire threatening thousands of homes ahead of a weather system expected to bring dry heat and erratic winds that could undo their progress.
Firefighters on Tuesday were focusing on expanding containment lines ahead of a red flag warning in the afternoon, when gusts of up to 35mph were expected, fire officials said. That coupled with low humidity could stoke the flames and send embers flying ahead of the blaze.
"This could set up some potential fire growth similar to what we experienced when it grew exponentially last week," said state fire spokesman Captain Tom Piranio. "We are working very aggressively to maintain the contingency lines."
The nearly 7,400 firefighters assigned to the blaze made progress against it over the past several days with the help of cooler, wetter conditions. The fire was 35% contained on Tuesday, up from 18% the day before.
The blaze was threatening about 21,000 structures, more than half of them homes. It has destroyed 10 houses and 22 minor buildings in the White Meadows area of Pollock Pines since it began 13 September.
About 2,700 people remain under evacuation orders, state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. The fire also continued to threaten a key University of California, Berkeley research station that is home to scores of experiments on trees, plants and other wildlife.
The blaze was spreading smoke beyond California, with the weather service on Monday issuing a "dense smoke advisory" about 50 miles away in Reno, Nevada, and around Lake Tahoe, which is about 15 miles from the fire. Shifting winds later pushed the worst of the smoke back west.
Those winds sent the air quality index into the "very unhealthy" level for general populations in Auburn northeast of Sacramento – where some schools closed – as well as the Roseville and Rockville areas.
A man charged with starting the fire, Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37, pleaded not guilty to arson Friday. He remains in the El Dorado County jail on $10m bail.
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