San Andreas Fire in California: Butte Fire 10 Percent Contained, Gov. Jerry Brown Declares State of Emergency
California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in two counties in Northern California, where a massive fire has destroyed 65,000 acres of land.
The Butte Fire began on Wednesday in Amador and Calaveras Counties and then quickly spread, forcing the evacuation of 2,700 Northern California residents on Friday, reports Weather.com. Mandatory evacuations were also ordered for the town of San Andreas, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento.
So far, the blaze has destroyed 15 structures, including six homes and two outbuildings. The wildfire was also threatening at least 6,400 others in mountain towns southeast of Sacramento. However, fire crews managed to contain about 10 percent of the fire by Saturday morning, thanks to the 3,000 firefighters who have been battling the blaze.
"The plan is to try to get this thing out," said state fire spokeswoman Nancy Longmore. "It's going to take quite a bit of work. We're in for the long haul here."
However, according to Yahoo! News, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Mike Mohler said that high temperatures and low humidity have complicated the firefight southeast of Sacramento. He added that temperatures were predicted to surpass 100 degrees with little humidity Saturday.
Likewise, meteorologist Jonathan Erdman warned that weather conditions over the next few days could add to the challenge of containing the blaze, according to Weather.com.
"The week ahead offers some relief in the form of cooler air and higher humidity," said Erdman. "But the chance of rain looks remote. September is still one of California's driest months; the wet season usually doesn't kick in until November. A stray afternoon thunderstorm can't be ruled out, however, which could produce dangerous shifting winds if occurring near the fire."
On the bright side, Mohler said crews hope the cooler weather, expected to roll in by late Saturday, can help them tame the flames.
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