![]() Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. The trees, grass and brush were so dry that “if an ember lands, you’re virtually guaranteed to start a new fire,” Matlow said. ![]() Winds were expected to change direction multiple times Thursday, putting pressure on firefighters at sections of the fire that haven’t seen activity in several days, officials said. He evacuated his property near Rollins Lake a day earlier, when “it looked like the whole town was going to burn down.” Conditions had calmed a bit and he was hoping for the best.Īfter firefighters made progress earlier this week, high heat, low humidity and gusty winds erupted Wednesday and were expected to remain a threat. In Colfax, Jamie Brown ate breakfast at a downtown restaurant Thursday while waiting to learn if his house was still standing. There was no containment and about 6,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Placer and Nevada counties, Cal Fire said. Within hours, it ripped through nearly 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) of dry brush and trees. ![]() “Sometimes it’s just not enough.”Ībout 100 miles (160 kilometers) south, officials said between 35 and 40 homes and other buildings burned in the fast-moving River Fire that broke out Wednesday near Colfax, a town of about 2,000. “We did everything we could,” fire spokesman Mitch Matlow said. ![]() Forest Service said initial reports show that firefighters saved about a quarter of the structures in Greenville. Dozens of homes had already burned before the flames made a new run Wednesday. ![]()
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