California, Oregon Wildfires Nearly 100% Contained
California and Oregon residents who suffered greatly from the dangerous wildfires are starting to get good news - some blazes are nearly contained.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal's office reported that as of Wednesday afternoon, the fire just outside Medford, Oregon has been 100 percent contained. They have turned over comment to local authorities in Jackson County, the USA Today reported.
On the other hand, Almeda Fire has now moved into "stabilization" phase. It burned through 3,200 acres and destroyed two small towns in the southern part of Oregon.
In California, Pasadena reported Wednesday that they have prevented the Bobcat Fire from damaging the Mount Wilson Observatory. It came near the observatory but officials from Angeles National Forest said firefighters were able to protect the site.
The observatory was the place where astronomers confirmed that there are galaxies outside the Milky Way and that the universe is expanding.
According to a report from The Oregonian, the rest of Oregon is far out of the woods. Evacuation levels have been dropped in select areas while some remain under some level of evacuation alert.
Fire crews have gained greater control over the large fires in Beachie Creek in Marion County. They used bulldozers to put down lines and reached 15 percent containment of the fire, said spokesman Scott Owen.
Rescue teams continue to assess the damage and other potential hazards. Some foothill communities still remain at risk from the blaze but officials said the fire's behavior has toned down.
With some areas seeing recoveries, there are still blazes left to fight. Thousands of acres are still burning from fire systems that have not seen containment.
Weather Still Unsafe, Air Quality Still Hazardous
Authorities still warn residents to be wary.
"With no significant precipitation in sight, California remains dry and ripe for wildfires," the Cal Fire noted in a release. A warming trend is likely to happen again this weekend, bringing higher risks of fire danger.
In northern California, the fires burning in the Klamath National Forest displaced residents of Happy Camp, California. From five percent containment, it moved up to 10 percent Monday. It was the fire that spread across the border into Oregon.
Officials did warn that if the weather pattern did not grow worse than it currently is, it is possible to contain more fire this week. Despite the assurance, spokeswoman Adrienne Freeman declined to put a timetable on containing the fires.
Air quality in the areas is still dangerous in both Oregon and California.
In Medford, air quality is still at a 226 rating, which still considered a "very unhealthy" rating for air. But that's an improvement from what was regularly registered as above 300, which is "hazardous."
Happy Camp's air quality clocked in a 346 rating. It is only 100 miles southwest of Medford.
How Contained are the Fires?
Several fire complexes in California have already reached 90 percent containment or more.
The LNU Lightning Complex has been 98 percent contained after destroying at least 1,491 structures and taking five lives.
The SCU Lightning Complex is also 98 percent contained, after some of its 20 fires merged and burned 222 structures.
Multiple fires in CZU Lightning Complex also saw 93 percent containment, with one fatality.
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