Firefighters Gain Some Ground as California Fire Grows

Firefighters battling a wind-stoked blaze that has forced evacuations gained ground even as the blaze burned through bone-dry rugged hills in two Northern California counties

CalFire firefighter Bo Santiago lights a backfire as the Rocky fire burns near Clearlake, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 3, 2015. AP Photo/Josh Edelson

LOWER LAKE, Calif.—Firefighters battling a wind-stoked blaze that has forced evacuations gained ground even as the blaze burned through bone-dry rugged hills in two Northern California counties.

About 2,000 firefighters took a stand against the flames Wednesday, some of them lighting backfires along a road as plumes of black and white smoke rose into the sky.

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