Fire Crews Gain on Some Blazes Plaguing State

SACRAMENTO — Exhausted firefighters gained an edge on some California blazes Thursday, but their ranks were stretched thin as hot, dry weather dragged on.

A total of 364 fires burned 21,000 acres of brush and timber in California this week, said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service.

Glickman said it could get worse. “We have the hottest temperatures in years and the driest weather in years and very unpredictable wind conditions,” he said.

In Tuolumne County, firefighters managed to nearly contain a 12,000-acre fire near Chinese Camp. They hoped to complete a bare-earth circle around the blaze by this morning and gain full control by Friday night, said Fire Department spokeswoman Jeanne Boyce.

A fire near Three Rivers in Tulare County had blackened more than 500 acres and was expected to burn several thousand more because of a lack of equipment and steep terrain, said California Department of Forestry spokesman James Sambrano.

In Oregon, fire swept through a 35-home subdivision Wednesday afternoon on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation as residents were evacuating their homes.

It was not known how many structures were damaged or whether anybody was injured in the housing tract, which is 90 miles southeast of Portland.

The 24,000-acre fire on the reservation was one of dozens that have burned more than 350,000 acres throughout the West over the week.

The threat had eased in the eastern Oregon town of Spray, where firefighters estimated that a 22,000-acre blaze would be contained by this evening. The fire had destroyed 14 homes, 15 outbuildings and 10 vehicles.

Cooler weather helped the firefighting effort, said Chris Strebig, spokesman for the Northwest Coordination Center in Portland.

“They’ve started to send some of the fire crews home,” he said. “The danger for Spray is over for now.”