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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Town’s evacuation order lifted

Firefighters make progress on Northern California blaze

Louise Chu Associated Press

DAVENPORT, Calif. – Hundreds of residents returned home when an evacuation order was lifted in a Santa Cruz mountain town Sunday, even as hot and dry winds fanned nearly a dozen wildifres across the state.

Bonny Doon residents trickling home along newly reopened roads were relieved to be out of immediate danger, but still apprehensive because containment lines built by firefighters are holding back only half the blaze. That fire has burned through about 10 square miles of the rugged terrain since Wednesday.

A state of emergency was declared in the county. Other blazes forced evacuations and knocked out power in other parts of the state.

Fire crews were unable to fight the blaze by air Sunday because of heavy smoke but made good progress on the ground along the western and southern ends of the wildfire, said Paul Provence, a state fire department engineer.

Crews planned to clear the canyon of heavy brush today, he said.

Crews reinforced the firefighting effort Sunday, totaling 2,165 firefighters.

Weather conditions overnight – cooler temperatures and increasing humidity – are expected to help the firefighting effort.

The blaze was just one of 11 statewide that pushed firefighters into rugged terrain to contain the flames and guard against new blazes.

“Things are so dry out there that it doesn’t take much for a spark or an ember to quickly develop into a wildfire,” said CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant.