Jul 23, 2008 12:55 pm US/Pacific
Steep Terrain, Smoky Skies Hinder End To Wildfires
(CBS 5 / AP / BCN)
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Smoke from a wildfire burning on forest land.
BLM/CBS
Steep terrain and roadless forest land were hindering the push to get the last of California's wildfires under control.
More then 2,000 blazes had blackened 1,528 square miles of land across California over the past month. On Wednesday, 33 blazes were still active.
Trinity County
Thick smoke from the fire burning in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Junction City has grounded firefighting helicopters and air tankers.
The large wildfire was less than a mile away from Trinity County town of about 800 residents.
As a result, a mandatory evacuation order remained in effect Wednesday for the outlying neighborhoods of Junction City.
That fire had thus far burned 98 square miles and was 61 percent contained.
As wildfires elsewhere in the state neared complete containment, firefighting resources were being redirected to more rural areas, said Frank Mosbacher, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
That included more than 250 National Guard troops assigned to the fire near Junction City.
"Topography and resources are the big challenge," Mosbacher said.
Monterey County
In many parts of the state, cooler temperatures and higher humidity had aided firefighters so far this week, including those in the Los Padres National Forest near the coast where a widespread blaze was 72 percent contained Wednesday.
The Basin Complex Fire in Monterey County had blackened 216 square miles, or more than 137,000 acres, and burned 26 homes around Big Sur. More than 1,600 structures were threatened since the fire broke out June 21.
"Things are really starting to look good," said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Burnout and suppression operations continued in firefighters' battle to contain the blaze, with a final containment expected by July 30. Almost 2,100 personnel were assigned to the fire, which had cost more than $66 million to suppress.
Crews worked to expand the containment line along Chew's Ridge while fire suppression repair work began on the Indians Fire, and continued on the West Basin Fire.
Voluntary evacuations were still in effect for Carmel Valley Road from the intersection of San Clemente Road (Sleepy Hollow) south to the intersection of Arroyo Seco Road; Arroyo Seco Road west of the junction with Carmel Valley Road; and Cachagua Road and Tassajara Road down to the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.
Air Quality Worsens
Flames around Northern California, which also has led to a handful of evacuations in Shasta, Lake and Mendocino counties, were contributing to air quality problems.
Dense smoke has been making for very unhealthy air that likely will go into the hazardous range in Trinity, Humboldt and Siskiyou Counties later this week, said Dimitri Stanich, spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board.
"People need to seek shelter and avoid exposure," Stanich said. "These levels are damaging even to healthy people."
State officials planned to turn gymnasiums and other buildings into "clean air shelters" equipped with air filters to screen out particulate matter in all three counties, he said.
Wildfires ignited since June 21 thus far have scorched 1,528 square miles across California and destroyed 122 homes.
Cal Fire updates on all the major blazes currently burning throughout the state are available online at: http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_current.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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