BREAKING NEWS

Northern California wildfire forces hundreds to flee

By REUTERS

JULY 31, 2015 03:40

Updated: JULY 31, 2015 03:41

SAN FRANCISCO - Flames raged unchecked for a second day through tinder-dry brush and scrub oak in Northern California's ranch country on Thursday after destroying three homes and forcing hundreds of residents to flee, as firefighters sought to benefit from subsiding winds, officials said.

The blaze, which has scorched some 8,300 acres (34 square km) of California's rural Lake County, was one of 14 large conflagrations under attack by nearly 7,000 firefighters statewide, forestry authorities said.

To help reinforce thinly stretched resources, the California National Guard mobilized nine of its helicopters Thursday morning to help battle the fiercest fires, state emergency management officials said.

The fires have been stoked by high winds, extremely low humidity and a heat wave that has brought triple-digit temperatures to much of the drought-parched state.

The so-called Rocky Fire erupted on Wednesday afternoon in the rugged foothills and canyons on the inland flanks of California's northern coastal range, 110 miles (180 km) north of San Francisco.

The blaze, propelled by strong winds, grew quickly during its first 12 hours, devouring three homes and numerous outbuildings, said Kaaren Stasko, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

About 500 people were ordered to evacuate, with emergency shelters opened for the evacuees and their livestock, she said.

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