Three new wild fires ignite in California as Caldor fire slows

Three new wildfires ignited in California on Sunday as the state reported progress in containing the Caldor fire.

The Aruba fire, sparked in San Diego County, has burned across the southeast portion of the community of Rainbow, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire’s protection district in San Diego County said on Twitter that the forward rate of the spread has stopped, and the fire was at 15 percent contained. 

The Bridge fire, sparked in Placer, has burned 250 acres under the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn. That fire is zero percent contained as of Sunday, and evacuations are in progress.

The Lawrence fire, the smallest of the three, started at 10:40 a.m. Sunday. It has thus far burned 40 acres. As of Sunday evening, the Lawrence fire is 30 percent contained. 

California has been hit hard by wildfires this season. This year, the Golden State has reported 7,099 fires burning more than 1.9 million acres, according to statistics reported by Cal Fire.

Cal Fire reported progress containing the Caldor fire, which is currently the second-largest active fire. The fire, which started Aug. 14, has burned 215,400 acres in El Dorado and Amador counties.

As of Sunday evening, the fire was 44 percent contained and is expected to be fully contained by Sept. 27. No deaths have been reported

Cal Fire said evacuation orders for South Lake Tahoe were downgraded to evacuation warnings, but warned that potential dangers still existed.

Authorities are working to contain the Dixie fire, which is the largest active wildfire in the state and the second-largest in the state’s history. The fire, which broke out on July 14, has burned 898,951 acres and is 56 percent contained.

Across the country, 80 large fires are active and have burned 2.8 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Most of the fires are in Idaho and Montana, with both states battling 19 fires.