San Francisco, Oct 1 (IANS) At least four people were killed, while 147 structures were destroyed due to a massive wildfire in Northern California, according to media reports.
In its latest update on Wednesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (Cal Fire) confirmed the fatalities due to the Zogg Fire, currently raging in Shasta County, which has so far scorched 55,046 acres of land with only 9 per cent containment.
“The fire continues to burn in grass, oak woodland, chaparral and mixed timber. Hot and dry conditions are forecasted again for the evening with a northwest wind developing across the area,” the update said.
“The inversion layer of smoke limited the use of aircraft.”
Also in the update, Cal Fire said that due to improved wind conditions, crews brought final containment to the Fox Fire in Siskiyou County.
Meanwhile, over 17,000 firefighters are currently working to contain the remaining 26 major wildfires across the state.
Crews also responded to 26 new wildfires, with only the Candy Fire in Riverside County growing beyond control.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 8,100 wildfires that have burned well over 3.9 million acres in California.
With the three new fatalities, the death toll has increased to 29 and more than 7,200 structures have been destroyed.
A Fire Weather Watch is in effect in Monterey County and the North Bay, potentially affecting the Glass Fire.
A cooling trend is expected to arrive over the weekend, lowering temperatures and raising humidity.
California historically experiences some of the most devastating wildfires in the months of September and October.
–IANS
ksk/