MIDDLETOWN, Calif.—As crews increase their chokehold on a deadly wildfire burning about 100 miles north of San Francisco, fire officials worry that warmer weather expected over the weekend could flare the flames further.
Nearly a week after the fire broke out in Lake County, crews increased containment to 40 percent. The fire has destroyed estimated 585 homes and hundreds of other structures have burned. Three people have been found dead in the fire’s wake. The flames saw a half-inch of rain earlier this week, which helped containment efforts.
“We have really been working hard over the last several days (with) cooler temperatures, and even a little bit of rain fall over the fires, to build containment around the fire and put out hot spots,” said California Department and Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant on Friday. “With temperatures already on the rise, and even hitting the mid-90s by this weekend, we are concerned we might see the fire flare up.”
“Unfortunately the warm temperatures will quickly dry out any rainfall leaving no long-term effect from the rain,” Berlant said.
