Firefighters battling a raging wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California caught a break early on Friday when strong winds they expected did not immediately materialise. Meanwhile, residents in the Spokane Valley in eastern Washington state fled a fire that destroyed seven homes.
The winds in California were expected to be similar to ones that caused the blaze in Butte county, north of Sacramento, to flare up earlier this week, destroying about 50 homes and forcing 10 000 residents to evacuate. But they were mild early on Friday, CalFire spokesperson Fred Orsborn said.
”They were getting little gusts, but nothing like they anticipated,” Orsborn said.
Firefighters on Thursday positioned themselves on the banks of the Feather River opposite the town of Paradise, where a wildfire last month forced thousands of evacuations and destroyed 74 homes.
In Washington state, firefighters renewed the battle at daybreak against a wildfire that erupted on Thursday in a heavily wooded part of the Spokane Valley, destroying seven homes and one other structure and forcing 200 residents to evacuate.
The National Weather Service said winds would be light on Friday, compared with the 80km/h blasts on Thursday that sent flames out of control.
No injuries have been reported.
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire said she approved requests by Spokane and Ferry counties for emergency declarations to make state resources available to help fight the fires.
Officials said heavy smoke and tree cover made it difficult to assess the damage from the suburban Spokane wildfire, which remained out of control. The cause of that blaze, which grew to nearly 5 square kilometres, was not immediately known.
In California, about 40 fires ignited by lightning storms have burned more than 197 square kilometres in Butte county alone in the past two weeks. By Thursday, about 15 of the fires were active.
On the state’s central coast, a 399-square-kilometre fire along scenic Big Sur claimed some outbuildings at the historic Tassajara Zen Mountain Centre monastery.
But the centre’s director, David Zimmerman, reported on its website on Thursday evening that the complex had mostly survived.
Authorities had issued new mandatory evacuation orders late on Wednesday for about 50 homes along a rugged road leading to the Zen centre, but five monks decided to stay and make a stand against the fire. The blaze is about 41% contained and has destroyed at least 27 homes.
Down the coast, a separate blaze in the Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara had blackened more than 39 square kilometres and was 75% contained. At the southern tip of Sequoia National Forest, 145km north of Los Angeles, a 140-square-kilometre blaze was almost one-third contained.
On Thursday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger requested more resources from President George Bush, and officials at the Department of Homeland Security said they were reviewing the request. — Sapa-AP