Placerville Wildfire “Highest Priority Fire In The Nation”
It’s been a tough month in California for wildfires. Up and down the state, blazes have kept firefighters busy. In total, six Northern California fires burned 275,000 acres. The worst currently is the King Fire in and around Placerville, east of Sacramento on the way to South Lake Tahoe.
The fire has burned through 145 square miles since it started Sept. 13. It has destroyed 12 homes and is threatening another 12,000.
Containment was up to nearly 40 percent, but crews were expecting another day of gusty winds and low humidity Wednesday before the arrival of cooler, wetter weather.
“We’re not sitting back and waiting,” said state fire Battalion Chief Scott McLean. “We have crews trying to get those containment lines strengthened.”
Nearly 2,000 firefighters were brought in as reinforcements Tuesday, bringing the total to about 7,400.
“This is the highest priority fire in the nation,” McLean said
The wildfire, which authorities believe was deliberately set, is threatening about 21,000 structures, more than half of them homes.
Best wishes to all the fire crews, those who have lost their homes and those hoping their homes will be spared.
