PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) – A huge wildfire in northeast California has run up a firefighting tab in excess of $50 million and become the second priciest blaze in the state this year, officials said.
The King Fire east of Sacramento has cost some $53 million to fight since it began nearly two weeks ago, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said.
“It takes a lot of resources to fight a fire of this magnitude,” Berlant said. “Protecting those people and their property is a huge priority for us. So, until we get a good amount of containment, we will have enough crews assigned until we can stop this blaze.”
The figure ranks behind the $86 million that has been spent to tame a still-burning fire in Klamath National Forest along the California-Oregon border.
However, those figures are nowhere near the more than $127 million spent to stop the Rim Fire last year in Yosemite National Park, Berlant said.