(Smokey skies create a reddish hue at sunset recently in Watsonville. Photo by Johanna Miller/Pajaronian)
LAKEPORT — California fire officials say the largest blaze ever recorded in the state is now more than half contained.
The Complex Fire has now marched over 476 square miles and torched 120 structures. Officials say the fire is larger than the entire city of San Diego.
The blaze is part of 17 large wildfires burning in the state, according to Cal Fire. Another large blaze is the Carr fire near Redding, where more than 1,000 structures have been cooked and seven fatalities reported. That fire has blackened more than 277 square miles.
According to Cal Fire, about 14,000 firefighters are tackling the fires around California, including crews from 17 states, New Zealand and Australia. Costs for fighting the fires has already topped a quarter of the state’s budget for fighting wildfires.
The seventh person to die in the Carr Fire in Redding was a Pacific Gas & Electric worker who died while teaming up with a crew to restore power, utility spokesman J.D. Guidi said.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Thursday it will take several weeks to fully surround the massive Complex wildfire in Northern California because it’s burning in steep terrain that’s hard to reach.
New evacuations were ordered Wednesday. Flames are creeping down hillsides toward homes in the city of Lake Elsinore, where crews are prepared to provide structure protection, Cal Fire said.
Meanwhile, one of the longest running wild land fires, the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite — in its 28th day — has now blanketed 95,104 acres and is 79 percent contained. Around 1,889 personnel are fighting the fire and include 135 engines, 18 water tenders, 14 helicopters, 22 crews, 5 masticators and 23 dozers. There have been 2 fatalities and 14 injuries to date, Cal Fire officials said. Ten structures have been destroyed. The Ferguson Fire is now the largest fire in the Sierra National Forest’s history, Cal Fire said.
Over the past several days in the Pajaro Valley, an eerie orange/brown filter has fallen over the sunlight, mostly due to smoke from Yosemite’s Ferguson Fire.
Two strike teams from Santa Cruz County, including county agencies and Cal Fire have been dotting around the state to battle several of the major fires, including the Carr Fire, the Complex fire and the Ferguson Fire, an official at the Cal Fire Felton Command Center said.
