Wildfire Burning Near Weaverville, California, Forces Evacuations; Now 25 Percent Contained

Residents of some 200 homes have been forced to evacuate while firefighters attempt to get control of a fast-moving wildfire burning in steep terrain near the rural northern California town of Weaverville.

Lilly Wyatt, spokeswoman with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said there are about 380 firefighters battling the Oregon fire, two miles west of Weaverville. The town is about 40 miles northwest of Redding.

In addition to the evacuated homes, an additional 500 residences and 20 or so businesses and facilities are threatened by the wildfire. That includes the town's airport and high school.

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"Unfortunately, we're in the dry season in northern California. No significant rain is in the forecast this week," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. "Also, heat will be building, with daytime highs well into the 90s from Tuesday on. Fortunately, morning lows will plunge into the 50s and winds will be relatively light. This is all you can ask Mother Nature for to cooperate with a fire fight in late August in northern California."

She says the flames did not spread overnight. The fire has burned a little more than 1 square mile, or 650 acres, of timber and brush about 2 miles west of the Gold Rush-era boomtown.

Hartman says the blaze, sparked Sunday afternoon near Highway 299, has damaged one structure, likely a barn or a large outbuilding.

A Red Cross center has been set up at Weaverville Elementary School to house evacuees, Redding.com reports.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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