County Fire burning near Lake Berryessa scorches 88,000 acres
NAPA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- The County Fire burning near Lake Berryessa has now scorched over 88,000 acres. So far, the fire is 37 percent contained.
Firefighters will continue to work aggressively through the day to build containment lines around the fire. Steep and inaccessible terrain has created difficulty for crews along the northern portion of the fire. Although the weather will be more favorable Friday, higher temperatures, lower humidities and winds are expected to return over the weekend.
Damage inspection teams have begun to survey the areas where the fire activity has diminished.
MAPS: A look at the 'County Fire' in Yolo County
At least 2,500 people have been told to evacuate as the so-called County Fire continues to spread, said Anthony Brown, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
PHOTOS: County Fire burning near Lake Berryessa
Brown said the blaze started Saturday and is surging through rugged terrain northwest of Sacramento amid hot and dry weather.
So far this year, wildfires have burned at least 4,200 square miles in the United States, according to the fire center. That's a bit below last year's acreage to date - which included the beginning of California's devastating fire season - but above the 10-year average of 3,600 square miles.
Cal Fire officials say their goal is to have full containment of this fire by next Thursday, July 12, 2018, which is two days more than they originally predicted.
EVACUATION ORDERS, ROAD CLOSURES:
Mandatory evacuations:
Area west of State Highway 16 to the Yolo-Lake County line, north of County Road 40 and south of the Yolo County line.
Residences served by Highway 128, between Monticello Dam and Pleasant Valley Road.
West of State Highway 16, to Berryessa Knoxville Road, South of Old County Road 40, and North of County Road 53
Road closures:
State Highway 16 has been closed between State Highway 20 and Rumsey Hall.
Berryessa Knoxville Road,from the Pope Creek Bridge to the Napa/Lake County line
Cooperating Agencies:
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Cal OES, California Highway Patrol, California Conservation Corps, Yolo County OES, Yolo County Sheriff, Solano County Sheriff, Napa County Sheriff, PG&E, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, and California National Guard.
The fire sent smoke across the Bay Area, as far west as Petaluma and as far south as San Francisco and Redwood City, according to the National Weather Service in San Francisco.
CAL FIRE map of the "County Fire"
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
