Large California blaze grows, evacuations ordered 2:21
A massive wildfire west of Sacramento, California, spanned 47,000 acres Sunday, up from 27,000 acres the previous evening.
The Rocky Fire, in Lake, Colusa and Yolo counties, was just 5 percent contained early Sunday afternoon, CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. No injuries were reported, though more than 10,000 people had been evacuated and several highways were closed, Berlant said.
Dozens of buildings — including two-dozen homes — had been destroyed, and 6,000 more buildings remained threatened by the fire, which was sparked in the drought-stricken state on Wednesday and exploded in size amid dry, windy conditions on Saturday, Berlant said.
This "is a very dangerous fire," he said.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, and another 6,000 personnel were working to quell 20 additional large fires across the state, stretching from the San Diego to just south of the Oregon border, Berlant said Sunday.
A firefighter died while fighting the so-called Frog Fire, about 100 miles south of Oregon. That fire was only 5 percent contained as of Saturday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
California Gov. Jerry Brown said he and his wife were "saddened to learn of the tragic death of U.S. Forest Service Firefighter Dave Ruhl, who left his home state to help protect one of California's majestic forests."
Brown ordered a state of emergency Friday night to mobilize additional crews and resources. "California's severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox," he said.