Wildfires Contributing To Smoky Bay Area Skies Continue To Spread

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Smoke from wildfires burning to the north and the east are filling the skies around the Bay Area.

Those fires include the Ponderosa Fire, which has burned 5.75 square miles near Oroville and is currently 30 percent contained.

As of Friday morning, the fire has destroyed 20 homes, and 1,300 structures remain threatened.

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Paul Lowenthal with Cal Fire said crews are making progress, but it could get worse before it gets better.

"At this point the fire is holding right now at 3,570 acres," Lowenthal told KCBS. Unfortunately we do expect there to be some growth."

Meanwhile, the Helena Fire near Weaverville in Trinity County is zero percent contained. As of late Thursday night, the fire has burned 8 square miles.

Several homes have burned and residents of the communities of Junction City and Helena have been evacuated.

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Trinity County.

There is also smoke from wildfires in the Central Sierra that are being blown towards the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service.

That smoke will only increase the haze in the air once it arrives later Friday.

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• Heat Wave
• Wildfires