The Seattle Times · Jul 31, 2015
Several blazes thrust Northern California into fire season
A wall of flames lurches over a ridge as a resident of Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake, Calif., prepares to evacuate because of the Rock Fire, Wednesday evening July 29, 2015.LOWER LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds thrust Northern California into full-fledged wildfire season Thursday with several new blazes flaring up, forcing hundreds of people from their homes.
California’s 14 large fires, mostly in the scorched northern half of the state, are pushing 7,000 firefighters to their limits as they battle flames amid drought, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection.