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San Francisco: Hundreds of wildfires sparked by lightning flared on Sunday across the heart of wine country and remote forests in northern California, the latest batch of destructive blazes in the bone-dry state.
One had spread across over 15 square kilometres by early Sunday after starting the previous afternoon in Napa County and quickly moving into a mostly rural area of Solano County.
The fire threatened more than 100 buildings as it fed on grassy woodland about 64 kilometres southwest of Sacramento, said Roger Archey, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It was 35 per cent contained on Sunday evening and had destroyed one home, officials said. Evacuations were ordered for some residents, said agency spokeswoman Nancy Carniglia.
Wildfires have destroyed more than 175 homes in Northern California so far this year. Blazes started popping up in the region just as California's unofficial fire season began in mid-May, following the state's driest two-month period on record. Two small blazes about 40km south of San Jose forced several residents from their homes on Sunday. Both were partially contained, and officials yesterday said most residents would be let back into their homes.
Thunderstorms were responsible for as many as 75 fires in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, about 257 kilometres north of Sacramento. None immediately threatened homes, said Forest Service spokesman Michael Odle.
Mendocino County had as many as 90 fires, charring nearly 21 square kilometres, Cal Fire officials said.
Along the coast in the Los Padres National Forest, a wildfire burning since Saturday forced 75 homes and businesses to be evacuated. And just kilometres away, firefighters worked to stanch a huge fire that has destroyed two homes since it began two weeks ago. It was nearly 60 per cent contained after charring 215 square kilometres.
In New Mexico, hundreds of firefighters battled blazes that had charred more than 259 square kilometres, including more than 1,618 hectares on a ranch owned by media mogul Ted Turner.
The largest fire, 32 kilometres southwest of Hope, New Mexico, was 35 per cent contained after charring about 166 square kilometres.
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