State of emergency declared in Northern California blaze; thousands flee

KXTV 12:19 p.m. EDT September 13, 2015

Residents evacuated their homes with only handfuls of belongings as the Butte fire quickly ballooned in Calaveras County. Some people have had to leave their pets behind, in the county's care, as they wait out the aggressive flames. VPC

(Photo: KGO)

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two large fires continued to blaze in Northern California on Sunday, consuming tens of thousands of acres, forcing evacuations and injuring firefighters struggling to contain the flames.
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday declared a state of emergency in Lake and Napa counties after the Valley Fire, which started Saturday afternoon northwest of Sacramento, continued to grow. That fire had burned 40,000 acres – about 63 square miles – as of Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
An unconfirmed number of structures were destroyed. Entire towns as well as residents along a 35-mile stretch of highway were evacuated. The cause of the Valley Fire is under investigation. Four firefighters suffered burn injuries on Saturday, CAL FIRE reported.
Meanwhile firefighters were making some progress combating the Butte Fire, which had been growing rapidly in Amador and Calaveras counties. As of Sunday it was about 20% contained, and covered 66,215 acres, or an area of about 101 square miles, CAL FIRE’s chief public information officer Daniel Berlant said on Twitter. CAL FIRE said 86 homes and 51 outbuildings had been destroyed so far by the Butte Fire.
Bright orange flames burning in the hills were visible from the edge of San Andreas, a gold-rush town about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento whose 2,700 residents were all told to evacuate briefly Friday before the fire shifted and they were allowed stay — for now.

Houses burned by Butte Fire.  Suzanne Phan / ABC10

Cooler weather was forecast for later Saturday, but people in San Andreas were told they may still have to clear out.
"You are advised that if you see smoke or fire approaching your community, evacuate the area immediately to a safe location," Cal Fire Incident Commander Phill Veneris said in a press release.
Hundreds of people from smaller surrounding communities fled their homes and filled up evacuation centers, one of which had to be moved twice to get it a safe distance from the flames.
Michelle Griffiths checked on livestock Saturday in Angels Camp, a quaint town made famous by Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Tale of the Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” She spent much of the night rescuing her neighbors’ four horses and several cats from their home in Mountain Ranch in the foothills threatened by the fire.
“People were running for their lives two nights ago,” which is when her neighbors left their house and livestock for a motel, Griffiths said.

Cal Fire crews work to battle the Butte Fire in Amador and Calaveras counties on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. The wildland fire, which ignited Wednesday afternoon, grew to 4,000 acres within 24 hours.  Mark Pepper/ABC10

“Fortunately, our house is still standing” and so is the neighbors’, she said.
Authorities said Saturday that the fire has destroyed 86 homes, and thousand more are threatened.
The fire started around 2:30 p.m. PT Wednesday just east of the town of Jackson.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday for Amador and Calaveras. About 3,800 firefighters were assigned to fight the fire. The cause is under investigation.
Approximately 6,400 utility customers were without power in the wildfire area, according to PG&E. The company reported that 4,000 of those customers are in Calaveras County and the other 2,400 are in Amador.
Contributing: The Associated Press