Sierra Nevada Wildfire 65 Percent Contained After Affecting 7,000 Acres and Destroying 40 Homes
A wildfire that started Friday in Northern California has already grown to 7,000 acres and destroyed 40 homes, LA Times reports.
The fire is nicknamed the Round fire and is burning at the base of the Sierra Nevada. As of Sunday morning, the fire is 65 percent contained, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Department.
The California state report on the Round fire has been published. There are 500 firefighters working on it as well as 35 fire engines and one helicopter, the report said.
Three people were injured in the fire, including one firefighter, due to smoke inhalation.
Friday night, winds helped the fire grow in size. Some winds were at sustained speeds of 75 mph. When the winds died down and some rain came in, firefighters were able to better contain the fire, which was originally only 30 percent contained as of Saturday, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.
Weather.com says that even with the rain, a three-year drought in California has created extremely dry wood that has fueled the fire.
"While the northern half of California and the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada have been soaked by heavy rainfall, the location of this fire has seen very little," Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said. "This is because it's located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada where less precipitation typically occurs. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain has fallen in nearby Bishop since this wet weather pattern began last Thursday."
The town of Small Meadows received the brunt of the damage, with 39 homes being destroyed. The other home destroyed was in the town of Paradise, according to the Associated Press.
The cause of the fire is unknown. Sunday evening at 6 p.m. local time there will be a meeting to discuss the fire at Round Valley School in Bishop, California.
Are you confident firefighters can put it out without much further damage? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.
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