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California wildfire swells in size over 2-day period; thousands evacuate

2 years 8 months 1 week ago Thursday, August 19 2021 Aug 19, 2021 August 19, 2021 4:08 AM August 19, 2021 in News
Source: CNN

EL DORADO COUNTY, California - In just 48 hours, the Caldor Fire in California's El Dorado County has grown 24 times in size and forced another 10,000 residents to leave their homes behind and seek temporary shelter elsewhere, California officials say.

According to Cal Fire, the blaze swelled to 62,586 acres Wednesday and is 0% contained.

At this time, officials aren't sure what triggered the fire, but they know it was sparked Saturday. Since then, wind and dry conditions have fueled its growth. 

Local officials say the fire is responsible for several injuries. Cal Fire reports that two people were airlifted to hospitals after being seriously hurt. 

The Caldor Fire has demolished a number of structures that have yet to be counted as conditions aren't safe enough for assessment to begin. But officials say at least another 6,000 structures may be impacted by the fire. 

Unfortunately, the Caldor Fire isn't the only active wildfire in the state at this time. 

In Lake County, which is about 100 miles northwest of Sacramento, The Cache Fire has burned approximately 80 acres and is 20% contained, according to Cal Fire.

In addition to this, the Dixie Fire, California's second-largest in history, has yet to be extinguished.

Cal Fire says the wildfire ripped through more than 60,000 acres in two days. As of Wednesday, the Dixie Fire has burned a total of 662,647 acres. Local officials say that to date, it has destroyed more than 1,200 structures.

The massive blaze has been active for over a month and is at 35% containment.

Other Western states are dealing with wildfires of their own.

In Washington, the Ford Corkscrew Fire burns northwest of Spokane and tore through 14,000 acres, as of Wednesday. This fire is at 14%, officials say.

In Utah, the Parleys Canyon Fire was 80% contained by Wednesday, officials said. Over the weekend, it resulted in the evacuations of more than 6,000 homes. But progress has since been made in containing the blaze.

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