California firefighters continued Friday to work around the clock battling fires as they erupt in the Golden State. At least one new, large wildfire has sparked each of the last nine days, keeping crews on their toes amid strong winds and public safety power shutoffs.
The latest large incident to break out in California is the Maria Fire in Ventura County, which has grown to almost 9,000 acres since breaking out Thursday night, forcing 10,800 people from their homes. It was zero percent contained as of Friday night.
The longest-burning fire in California right now is the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, which started on Oct. 23. That fire has now burned more than 77,000 acres and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. But some of those evacuation orders were finally lifted as of Thursday afternoon. Cal Fire reports more progress is being made, with containment growing to 68 percent as of Friday.
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“Fire personnel made good progress in their fire fighting efforts overnight due to favorable weather conditions,” Cal Fire said of the incident in a Friday morning briefing. “Access to the northern part of the fire remains challenging because of steep terrain and narrow roads, but firefighters will continue to build on the progress they made today with even more control lines being established.”
Back in Southern California, a new fire broke out in Lake Matthews in Riverside County, burning through 25 acres in under an hour. And a fire in a North Hollywood recycling center sent a plume of smoke into the air around rush hour Friday, but no structures were threatened.
Meanwhile, crews are gaining containment on several smaller fires. The 46 Fire in Riverside County is now 70 percent contained after burning 300 acres, and evacuation orders have been lifted. The 628-acre Hill Fire, also in Riverside County, is 80 percent contained, as is the 1,860-acre Easy Fire in Los Angeles County. The Getty Fire, which destroyed 10 homes and damaged 15 others, is now 66 percent contained.
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