California wildfire increases in size 24 times in two days. Thousands of people were evacuated

(CNN) – The Caldor fire Burning in California has grown 24 times in size in two days, forcing another 10,000 residents to evacuate.

Driven by wind and dry conditions, the fire burning in El Dorado County rose to 25,000 acres Wednesday and is 0% contained, according to Cal Fire. The fire started on Saturday and the cause is unknown.

“The unfortunate thing is that these fires continue to grow,” Thom Porter, Cal Fire director, said Wednesday. at a press conference.

“But we are allocating resources to communities to protect and reduce the impact.”

The fast-moving fire continued to burn through “several steep drains with the help of large amounts of dry vegetation”, prompting even more evacuations, Cal Fire said Wednesday.

California’s weather has only made matters worse for those fighting the fires, as well as for the thousands of people who were directed to evacuate their homes.

The fire grows

The large California fires remained active Wednesday thanks to a front that swept through the area, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said. Although temperatures will remain on the cooler side, the area remains extremely dry as drought conditions continue to affect the state.

“Any new front pushing through will increase the approach winds, which can be a big problem for firefighters,” Guy said. “I would say it is like waiting for a shipwreck to occur. … You see it happen or come, and the only thing you can do is wait for the catastrophe to happen without being able to do anything about it.”

To protect people from that dire situation, the number of evacuees in El Dorado County rose to 16,380 on Wednesday, up from about 6,850 the day before. according to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

“Getting people out of the way of these fires is the best way we can protect their communities. We need them to evacuate,” Porter urged. “Please heed the warnings.”

Darby Flynn is one of thousands of people who were told to flee the flames, reported CNN affiliate KCRA.

She told the news outlet that she is “happy to be able to evacuate and not get caught in the fire.”

“I just grabbed a few things and some important artwork that my mother painted for me and something that my aunt did for me and that was pretty much it,” she told KCRA. “Otherwise, I’m just trying to remember that things are things and that most of them can be replaced.”

Meanwhile, two people were airlifted to hospitals after being seriously injured in the area, Cal Fire said. One person approached firefighters, who tried to perform first aid before the person was taken to a hospital. Another person suffered “serious” injuries.

Damage assessment has yet to begin as the fire remains dynamic and complex, authorities said. So far, the fire has destroyed many structures and threatens about 6,000 others, Cal Fire officials said. The fire has burned at least one Pioneer Union School District elementary school, a community church and a post office.

In Lake County, California, about 100 miles northwest of Sacramento, a new wildfire has destroyed several homes, according to authorities. The Cache fire has burned about 32 hectares and is 20% contained, according to Cal Fire.

“It appears we have several dozen homes that have been lost here, one civilian injured so far,” Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin posted on Facebook Wednesday. Evacuation orders have been issued for county residents.

More than 25,000 firefighters fight 104 major fires

According to him National Interagency Fire CenterThe US is working to control 104 large fires, mostly in the west, where drought conditions and red flag alerts continue to fuel the flames.

In particular, the Dixie fire, the second largest in California history, has not abated, increasing more than 24,281 hectares in two days to a total of 268,163 hectares burned through Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. The fire has been active for more than a month and is 35% contained.

“The Dixie fire is the first fire that we are aware of that has burned from the west side of the range to the bottom of the valley on the east side of the range. We have no record of this having occurred before,” Porter said. Wednesday. “It is extremely resistant to control. While we have had some successes … when the winds come in, we find that the fires are in some cases spreading miles outside of that fire.”

The Dixie Fire – the nation’s largest active fire – has destroyed more than 1,200 structures, including 645 individual residences, according to Cal Fire. At least 16,085 structures remain threatened by the flames. According to the authorities, three rescuers have been injured in the fight against the fire.

Meanwhile, the Cache Fire, burning in Lake County, California, has scorched 32 acres, destroying homes in its wake, according to Cal Fire. It was 20% contained on Wednesday.

“It seems we have several dozen houses that have been lost here, one civilian injured so far,” posted Wednesday on Facebook Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin.

Evacuation orders had been issued for residents of the county, which is about 170 kilometers northwest of Sacramento.

Meanwhile, the Ford Corkscrew fire burning northwest of Spokane, Washington, charred 5,665 acres as of Wednesday while containment was at 14%, authorities said. Crews made “significant progress” in laying the bulldozers, and will continue to do so, authorities said.

In Utah, the Parleys Canyon Fire reached 80% containment on Wednesday, according to the authorities, compared to 40% the day before.

More than 6,000 homes in the Summit Park, Pine Brook, Lambs Canyon and Mill Creek communities were evacuated over the weekend, but evacuation orders were lifted.

– CNN’s Dave Hennen, Joe Sutton and Stella Chan contributed to this report.