California wildfires force evacuations

California Wildfires Force Evacuations for more residents 

65 000 acres burned down in only a few days, as wild fire blaze spread across northern California

The Watchers,

12 September, 2015

An explosive wildfire which started on September 8, 2015, has forced 2 700 residents across the northern California to evacuate by September 11. A state of emergency was declared by California Governor Jerry Brown, as more than 1 500 firefighters have been dispatched across the affected areas.

About few hundred acres (about 40 hectares) have been burnt down in the counties of Amador and Calaveras by the "Butte" Fire on September 10, 2015. The area affected rapidly increased in only a few days to 65 000 acres (26 305 hectares), as of September 12. The fire is only 5% contained currently and evacuations have been ordered across the San Andreas town.

Since an explosive start on September 8, the fire has been spreading uncontrollably toward the south and east: “It’s exploding like a balloon. It’s moving very fast. There are many homes threatened. … This fire is extremely dangerous,” state fire spokeswoman Nancy Longmore said.​

State of Emergency declared in 50,000-acre Butte Fire in NorCal; Thousands evacuated http://t.co/SbocseGCPi pic.twitter.com/RInsb1twvZ

— KTLA (@KTLA) September 12, 2015

6 homes and 2 outbuildings were devastated by the fire, and 6 000 more have been threatened by the fast spreading blaze, since September 10.

Three evacuation centers have been set up so far, to aid the victims. Over 1 500 firefighters, 178 engines, 7 air tankers and 16 helicopters were assigned to fight the fire.​

DETAILS: Only 10 percent of the fire contained, 8 structures burned already (via @EdJoyce) http://t.co/SoVc7duo36pic.twitter.com/848m6vyxVz

— RT America (@RT_America) September 12, 2015

Weather conditions over the next few days might be helpful in battling the spreading fires, however, as September is one of California's driest months, no long-term relief is still in sight, according to weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.

"The week ahead offers some relief in the form of cooler air and higher humidity, but the chance of rain looks remote. September is still one of California's driest months; the wet season usually doesn't kick in until November. A stray afternoon thunderstorm can't be ruled out, however, which could produce dangerous shifting winds if occurring near the fire."

Featured image: Fire blazing across northern California. Image credit: ABC7