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Containment Of King Fire Shoots Up To 87 Percent

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Additional rain and high humidity allowed crews to make even more progress toward taming a massive wildfire in Northern California, officials said Sunday.

The rain showers and isolated thunderstorms aided firefighters battling the King Fire, which did not see a major spread, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Michael Williams said.

The 2-week-old blaze has burned nearly 152 square miles of a heavily forested region east of Sacramento. It was 87 percent contained, up 3 percent from Saturday, Williams said.

More than 4,800 firefighters, less than 1,000 from Saturday - and far less than its peak of 8,000 - remain on the scene to reinforce containment lines as fire suppression and repair teams assess the damage, state fire spokesman Capt. Tom Piranio said.

"We're looking to go deep into the terrain and really focus on mopping up those hot spots and smoldering areas," Piranio said. He added that the suppression and repair teams will soon start creating a strategy to remove dead or weaken trees and prevent ash, mud and other debris from polluting the waterways.

The blaze, which has cost more than $53 million to fight, has destroyed about a dozen homes and nearly 70 other structures near Pollock Pines in El Dorado County.

A man charged with starting the fire, Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37, pleaded not guilty to arson. He remains in the El Dorado County jail on $10 million bail.

 

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

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