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More than 21,000 structures face threat due to California wildfire

More than 21,000 structures face threat due to California wildfire

By :  DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-09-22 03:36 GMT
Nearly three-dozen structures have been destroyed in a massive Northern California wildfire that continues to spread more than a week after it started. Photo: AP
This photo was captured when the fires started taking course to the shore of Bass Lake few days back. Crews are attempting to get better access to two raging wildfires in California.
Firefighters battle the flames from the King fire near Fresh Pond, Calif. The blaze that started Sunday has consumed more than 18,000 acres and is only 5 percent contained.
The fire swept through the area Monday destroying more than 100 buildings, including two churches and burning more than 300 acres.
Kate Stonecypher walks through the burned remains of the garage of her home that was destroyed by the Boles fire.
Fire crews hose down a smoldering chip pile at the Roseburg Lumber Mill in Weed, Calif. The Boles Fire burned more than 100 structures and damaged some of the mill's facilities.
The fire also continues to threaten a key University of California, Berkeley research station that is home to scores of experiments on trees, plants and other wildlife.
About 100 evacuees have been allowed to return home, but some 2,700 remain under evacuation orders.
The blaze that has not only consumed grass and brush, but swaths of extremely dry tall timber.
More than 5,000 firefighters - from as far as Florida and Alaska - are helping California crews battle
More than 21,000 structures remain threatened as the blaze remains at 10 percent contained.
A man charged with starting the fire, Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37, pleaded not guilty to arson Friday and remains in the El Dorado County jail on $10 million bail.
The fast-moving blaze located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Sacramento that started Sept. 13 grew to more than 128 square miles (332 square kilometers) Saturday despite periods of rain overnight.
About 3,000 athletes from around the world were expected to participate, but couldn't due to poor air quality as the fire spread to the Tahoe National Forest northwest of Lake Tahoe over the weekend.
Smoky conditions from the fire also forced the last-minute cancellation of two popular Ironman events in nearby Lake Tahoe Sunday morning, Ironman operations manager Keats McGonigal said.
"It has been very challenging to get access to those burn areas because there's a lot of inaccessible terrain. We had to make sure it was safe enough to enter," Piranio said.
Assessment teams were headed back into the rugged, steep terrain to survey more damage, he said.
According to preliminary figures, 10 residences and 22 outbuildings were lost in the King Fire as the structures were discovered in the White Meadows area of Pollock Pines, said Capt. Tom Piranio, a state fire spokesman.
More than 21,000 structures face threat due to California wildfire

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