LOS ANGELES — The Caldor fire in El Dorado County has exploded to more than 50,000 acres, destroying a school, a church and numerous other structures.
By Wednesday morning, the fire burning east of Sacramento had swelled to 53,772 acres, up from a reported 6,500 acres the previous morning.
Thousands of rural residents fled the flames, and two civilians were seriously injured Tuesday as the fire tore through rugged terrain with zero containment.
Spokesperson Chris Vestal said the fire exhibited unusually high flame lengths and rapid spread. An incident report described its behavior as “unprecedented.”
The topography has also posed challenges, making it difficult to create containment lines, Vestal said.
“We’re having to use a lot of hand crews versus some of the heavier machinery,” he said. “They just can’t access some of the canyons and terrain.”
Authorities issued several evacuation orders and warnings for surrounding communities as the fire raged. Details are available on the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
The blaze ignited Saturday evening roughly four miles south of Grizzly Flats and two miles east of Omo Ranch. The cause remains under investigation.
The number of damaged and destroyed structures has yet to be tallied.
As with other fires in Northern California, historically dry fuel and drought conditions are fanning the flames.
With high winds and low humidity in the forecast, a regional red flag warning signaling critical fire weather is in place until 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Amid recent gusty winds, the monstrous Dixie fire — the largest single wildfire in California history — grew to 635,728 acres by Wednesday morning. After burning for more than a month, it remains only 33% contained.
A red flag warning extends until 11 p.m. for the east zone of the fire.
Several other wildfires are ravaging Northern California, including the Monument and McFarland fires, which are burning northwest of the Dixie fire and were sparked in late July by lightning.
More than 6,000 personnel are attacking the Dixie fire alone. All of the simultaneous blazes are stretching limited resources, according to fire officials.
Vestal said a “huge” order for resources has been made for the Caldor fire, and more equipment is on the way.
“Some of those are being filled,” he said. “Some of them are just harder to get right now as different incidents all over Northern California have priority needs.”
