ψ_More than 1,200 fire fighters are battling!!!_ψ

N. Calif. fire burns 7 homes, threatens thousands

Associated Press – 5 hrs ago

MANTON, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters in Northern California on Monday struggled to gain control of a growing wildfire that has destroyed at least seven homes and forced thousands of rural residents to evacuate.

The blaze that started Saturday has consumed more than 23 square miles near the towns of Manton, Shingletown and Viola near the border of Tehama and Shasta counties. It was only about 5 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Ponderosa fire threatens at least 3,000 homes and more than 300 other structures, said fire spokesman Daniel Berlant.

More than 1,200 firefighters are battling the wildfire burning in rugged, densely forested terrain about 170 miles north of Sacramento. It started after the area was hit by a series of lightning strikes.

The fire forced the closure of Highway 44 and some local roads and prompted the sheriff to declare a State of Emergency for Shasta County. The Red Cross set up an evacuation center in Redding.

John Cluff, 42, told the Redding Searchlight that he was forced to flee his home before the evacuations were issued. He went back for his dog about 3:30 p.m.

"The fire basically chased me out of the property," he said. "All I could see was black smoke and flames."

The Ponderosa fire is one of many wildfires burning across California and the West.

In Mendocino County, another wildfire that started Saturday has consumed about 8 square miles near Covelo. That blaze, which was sparked by lightning, was burning in a remote area of thick timber and rugged terrain, making it difficult for fire crews to access.

Meanwhile, a massive wildfire that has been burning in the Plumas National Forest since July 29 grew larger over the weekend as strong winds pushed the flames past fire lines on its northeast edge.

The blaze, about 120 miles north of Sacramento, has consumed more than 73 square miles and continued to threaten about 900 homes. The fire was 32 percent contained Monday.

Also in California, a wildfire in Lassen Volcanic National Park was 51 percent contained after consuming more than 43 square miles. Officials expected firefighters would have the blaze contained by Tuesday.

Marcus Johns with the Department of Natural Resources, watches as the Taylor Bridge Fire burns on the south side of Highway 970 near Swauk Prairie Road on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 near Cle Elum, Wash. 
The Taylor Bridge Fire has forced hundreds to evacuate and has burned dozens of homes. (AP Photo/seattlepi.com, Joshua Trujillo)

A wooden structure sits on the side of the road near Pine and Featherville, Idaho as flames from the Trinity Ridge Fire in the Boise National Forest engulf trees in this August 17, 2012 handout photograph made available to Reuters August 19, 2012. REUTERS/Kari Greer/US Forest Service/Handout

Firefighters work the line at the Trinity Ridge Fire in the Boise National Forest near Pine and Featherville, Idaho in this August 17, 2012 handout photograph made available to Reuters August 19, 2012. REUTERS/Kari Greer/US Forest Service/Handout

In this photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, flames surround a house on a hillside above Bettas Road near Cle Elum, Wash. 

A spokesman for the Washington state Department of Natural Resources said the house survived the fire because of the defensible space around the structure with the placement of the driveway and the lack of trees and brush up against the house, preventing flames from reaching it. Firefighters are still working to control the Bridge Taylor Fire and said that it's 25 percent contained. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A wildfire at the Springs Fire burns in Boise National Forest near Banks-Garden Valley, Idaho in this August 13, 2012 photograph made available to Reuters on August 17, 2012. The Idaho blaze, sparked by a utility vehicle that caught fire, has charred nearly 70,000 acres of sagebrush and woodlands east of Boise over the past six days, burning a rental cabin and six non-residential structures, authorities said. REUTERS/Kari Greer/US Forest Service/Handout

A U.S. Forest Service firefighter works on the Springs Fire in Boise National Forest near Banks-Garden Valley, Idaho in this August 13, 2012 photograph made available to Reuters on August 17, 2012. The Idaho blaze, sparked by a utility vehicle that caught fire, has charred nearly 70,000 acres of sagebrush and woodlands east of Boise over the past six days, burning a rental cabin and six non-residential structures, authorities said. REUTERS/Kari Greer/US Forest Service/Handout

A water dropping helicopter leaves the heli-base while battling the Trinity Fire in Pine, Idaho August 16, 2012. The Trinity Ridge Fire a few hundred miles to the southeast in Idaho posed a greater threat to property on Thursday, and nearly 1,000 firefighters were amassed for a last-ditch effort to keep flames at bay. REUTERS/Brian Losness

Tracy Summers, of the Toledo Fire Department, watches a water drop as crews continue to battle the Taylor Bridge Fire near Cle Elum, Washington, August 16, 2012. One of the more destructive of the fires flared …more