Shasta County Fire Continues To Grow; Prompts New Set Of Evacuations
REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire in Northern California that authorities say was sparked by exhaust from a truck prompted a new set of evacuations on Monday, as it continued to grow.
State fire spokeswoman Teresa Rea said she did not know how many homes were included in the new evacuation order around the fire in the rural community of Igo in Shasta County. Fire officials said the blaze, which started on Friday, was threatening 15 homes and 50 other structures after having destroyed eight homes and ten structures. It had burned through 4,400 acres, or nearly seven square miles, and was 15 percent contained.
Fire crews have been hampered by steep terrain and dry conditions. Temperatures were expected to climb to 108 degrees on Monday, Rea said. She said about 100 additional firefighters were called in overnight, bringing total personnel on the so-called Bully Fire to a little over 1,800.
"We have some very, very difficult conditions we're dealing with," Rea said.
A 27-year-old Sacramento man was arrested Saturday and accused of recklessly causing a fire and with marijuana cultivation, both felonies, according to the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection.
The agency said Freddie Alexander Smoke III was delivering material to the pot site when the exhaust from his truck ignited dry grass.
Meanwhile, in Central California containment of a more than 2 and ½-square mile fire in the Sequoia National Forest increased to 60 percent.
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