California's Caldor Fire grows to 30,000 acres, triggering evacuation orders
The Caldor Fire is rapidly expanding through Northern California, prompting mandatory evacuations for residents in El Dorado County, which is home to over 190,000 residents. The fire ignited Saturday near the Omo Ranch village and has grown to more than 30,000 acres with zero containment, according to CalFire.
The fire is now the second-largest wildfire burning in California after growing more than 23,500 acres on Tuesday. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation but officials estimate it will be fully contained by August 21, according to CalFire.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for El Dorado County Tuesday afternoon.
Fire officials say the blaze is too unpredictable to determine how many structures have been lost. Residents near Barney Ridge, Leoni Meadows, Grizzly Flats and Happy Valley have been ordered to evacuate as Caldor Fire continues to spread.
Nearly 100 miles away, firefighters are still battling the Dixie Fire, the nation's largest wildfire and the second-largest in California history. The blaze, which has been active for 34 days, has burned nearly 605,000 acres and is 30% contained, according to CalFire.
On Tuesday morning, officials were forced to scrap plans to allow evacuated residents back into their homes as heavy winds and an increase in Dixie Fire activity made Chester, Lake Almanor West and Prattville unsafe.
"In this environment, any type of wind, no matter what direction — especially the way the fire's been going — is a concern for everyone," information officer Jim Evans said in a news conference.
The Dixie Fire has destroyed 1,100 buildings and 625 homes, threatening more than 14,000 others, according to CalFire. Officials have said the blaze would be fully contained by October but are in the process of announcing a new containment date as dangerous weather has allowed the blaze to spread.