6 years after wildfire destroyed Paradise, Calif., new blaze flares nearby
Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on fires burning in California, Oregon and New Mexico on Wednesday, June 26. For the latest news on the fires view our file for Thursday, June 27.
Firefighters were working Wednesday to contain a blaze that prompted evacuations in a rural Northern California town near the area decimated by the state's deadliest wildfire six years ago.
The fire, dubbed the Apache Fire, started on Monday, burned 691 acres and was 47% contained by Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire. After firefighters made progress because of improved weather conditions Tuesday, authorities said residents could return to their homes in Palermo, about 30 miles outside Paradise, where the Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed 14,000 homes in 2018.
The Apache Fire has burned at least two structures and caused one injury.
"Please be mindful of fire personnel in the area and possible hazards associated with the fire," Cal Fire and the Butte County Fire Department said Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, crews in New Mexico and Oregon were contending with their own blazes, and two fires in southern New Mexico were still burning after more than a week.
Progress made in New Mexico wildfires as authorities seek culprits
Firefighters have made inroads on the two wildfires that have killed two people and displaced thousands on Mescalero Tribal land and in the area of Ruidoso, about two hours outside Albuquerque. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of the people who may have started the fires.
The South Fork fire had burned 17,569 acres and was 64% contained, and the Salt Fire had burned 7,939 acres and was 55% contained, officials said early Wednesday. Residents were allowed to return to their homes this week after evacuation orders were lifted, but crews were still working on flames along Highway 70. The fires have been burning since June 17.
Officials asked residents near Ruidoso not to set off fireworks this Fourth of July to prevent igniting new fires in the dry climate.
Oregon blaze spreads rapidly, fueled by fire weather
A fast-growing fire that sprang up on Tuesday in central Oregon had consumed more than 2,400 acres as of Wednesday morning, up from1,700 acres Tuesday evening, authorities said. The Darlene 3 Fire was 30% contained overnight.
Darlene 3 was reported after noon Tuesday, prompting evacuations to residents nearby and closing campgrounds. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the state's Emergency Conflagration Act to mobilize resources statewide to fight the fire, according to Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple.
Photos and video posted to social media by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office showed a huge plume of dark smoke rising over homes and forest.
“This fire has quickly grown within the last few hours, pushed by gusty winds and high fire conditions," Ruiz-Temple said Tuesday. “As we enter the hot and dry summer months, I am asking Oregonians to do everything they can to prevent wildfires.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fire blazes in town near Paradise; Oregon, New Mexico see wildfires
