Firefighters in California are making progress on 11 major wildfires, including the Mosquito and Fairview fires, according to a statewide fire update published on Sunday.
More than 8,300 firefighters are working to contain the California fires across the state, but are bracing for more potential significant wildfires due to incoming critical fire weather. So far this year, 325,083 have burned in California, according to the fire summary.
Potential critical fire weather includes a high risk for lightning in northern California “in eastern areas on Sunday combined with very flammable fuels.” Breezy west and southwest winds at 25 to 35 miles per hour will also develop through the San Francisco Bay Area coastal gaps and south to southeast winds of 15 to 25 mph will extend up to the Sacramento Valley.
Isolated thunderstorms may also develop around the Lake Tahoe Basin Sunday afternoon, according to the fire summary.
The Mosquito Fire, which has consumed 41,443 acres so far, is 10% contained, according to a tweet from Cal Fire. The Fairview Fire has consumed 28,307 acres and is 45% contained. There continues to be a threat to communities, structures, critical infrastructure and wildlife regarding both fires.
The 12,365 acre Mountain and 3,935 acre Mill fires in Siskiyou County are 60% and 90% contained respectively.
On Saturday, red flag warnings were in place for many parts of the Northwest due to extreme fire weather conditions as well, including Seattle and Tacoma in Washington and Bend and Portland in Oregon.
Oregon’s Cedar Creek Fire has grown to 85,926 acres with 0% containment because of the weekend’s weather conditions, according to a news release from the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.
A level 3 evacuation is in place for “2,230 homes and 443 commercial structures,” that are under threat by the fire, the release said. The State Fire Marshal “has committed seven task forces and an incident management team to protect homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure in the area.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
