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Crews scramble to protect homes from fierce California wildfire

Tuesday, 03 July 2018 9:47 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 03 July 2018 9:50 AM ]

More than 2,000 firefighters aided by water-dropping helicopters battled a wind-driven wildfire raging out of control in Northern California on Monday, threatening homes and other structures as thick black smoke drifted across the San Francisco Bay Area.

The so-called County Fire, which broke out on Saturday afternoon in rural Yolo County, west of Sacramento, has already blackened more than 60,000 acres of grass, brush and dense scrub oak and was only 5 percent contained as of Monday evening afternoon.

Crews worked through the night to cut control lines around the blaze, which grew by one-third overnight Sunday, and officials ordered about 300 people to leave their homes near Lake Berryessa in neighboring Napa County as flames bore down.

The smoke reached some 75 miles (120 km) south to San Francisco, leaving films of ash on cars and windows. No casualties have been reported.

(Source: Reuters)

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