BURNEY, Calif. – Humid conditions gave crews hope in their battle against two wildfires in Northern California that have scorched more than 100 square miles and are menacing a small town on Monday, at a time when firefighters in Oregon and Washington state also aim to combat destructive blazes.
The blazes raged mostly uncontrolled within miles of each other, and the worst of the two has burned eight homes and threatened over 700 more, state fire spokeswoman Capt. Amy Head said. Plus, residents in the town of Burney in Shasta County face possible evacuation.
“Right now we’re continuing to put in containment lines to box in the fires as they are growing at such an explosive rate,” Head said. “We also want to make sure that if there are any evacuation notices, that the residents will listen to what officials are saying and heed the warning.”
In downtown Burney, where there was some road closures, residents on Monday went about normal activities with flames and smoke as backdrop.
A day earlier, the fires prompted officials at Mayer Memorial Hospital to evacuate their 49-bed annex for patients with dementia and other conditions requiring skilled nursing. The patients were transferred to a hospital in Redding, about 55 miles away, according to the hospital’s website.