Thousands of firefighters continued to battle blazes throughout California on Sunday as help poured in from other states and weather conditions turned more favorable.
At least 19,622 firefighters were combating flames, most sparked by lightning. More than 1,300 were committed to fighting the Oliver fire in southern Mariposa County, which has consumed at least 2,603 acres. The Oliver fire was 45% contained Sunday and was not expected to be fully controlled until Saturday, said Craig Tolmie, a Cal Fire spokesman.
 
In addition, the Star fire eight miles southeast of Wawona in a remote section of the south fork of the Merced River was only 10% contained, said Leanne Langeberg, Sierra National Forest spokeswoman.
The fire has burned 330 acres and is expected to be contained Friday. Twenty smoke jumpers and two hand crews that hiked in are battling the blaze, which was sparked by lightning. No structures are threatened.
The Star fire is the only one of the Silver Fire Complex of blazes that is not controlled. The 570-acre Silver Knob, 105-acre Westfall, the 54-acre Chiquito and nine other fires are 100% contained.
Firefighters struggling to get an upper hand on the Oliver fire managed to secure enough lines along Aurora and Standard Mill roads and portions of Chowchilla Mountain Road that an evacuation order was reduced to an evacuation warning.
Instead of having to leave immediately, residents could remain home and stay apprised of fire conditions, Tolmie said.
The commitment from fire personnel is substantial. In addition to the 1,324 firefighters, 141 fire engines, 30 hand crews, 15 water tenders, 10 bulldozers and nine helicopters were battling the Oliver fire.
Statewide, 19,622 firefighters are trying to control blazes caused by lightning strikes.
The dry lightning storms ignited 1,420 fires that have consumed 364,600 acres and drawn response from an army of equipment: 420 fire engines, 465 hand crews, 331 bulldozers, 375 water tenders and 95 helicopters.
All told, flames from those fires have charred 356,134 acres in the state since June 20, up nearly 48,000 acres since Saturday morning, said Greg Renick, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services.
More than 7,500 homes remained threatened, he said. Among the buildings destroyed are 29 homes and one commercial property.
More than 300 firefighters battled a blaze about 35 miles east of Bakersfield. The fire, which started Saturday, had burned 1,000 acres by Sunday afternoon and was threatening roughly 25 summer homes and cabins in the French Meadow and Brown’s Meadow areas of the Sequoia National Forest.
“The terrain is extremely difficult to deal with,” Kern County fire Capt. Alex Entenman said. “We would like to have more resources, but we’re making do with what we’ve got.”
No new major fires had broken out Sunday as fire crews inched closer to getting some of the largest blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services.
But a “red flag warning” — meaning the most extreme fire danger — was still in effect for Northern California until 5 a.m. today. And the coming days and weeks are expected to bring little relief.
Air quality districts from Bakersfield to Redding issued health advisories through the weekend, urging residents to stay indoors to limit exposure to the smoky air.
Weather conditions were providing some help for firefighters. Thunderstorms near the Sierra crest didn’t produce lightning strikes in Central California and an offshore low-pressure system pushed smoke north of the region, which helped improve air quality, said meteorologist Gary Sanger of the National Weather Service in Hanford.
Thunderstorms have pushed northeast and no lightning is expected today. But lightning is expected in the mountains from Fresno County south later in the week, said Capt. Mike Bowman of Cal Fire.
Meanwhile, firefighters are on the lookout for “sleeper” fires, blazes that spring up after smoldering for days. One occurred near the Oliver fire outside the control lines of the firefighters, and resources had to be diverted to it, Tolmie said.
“These are a normal occurrence after lightning storms,” he said. “They go undetected because they smolder.”
The fires in Northern and Central California were stretching resources to the limit. A federal call for assistance brought response from as far as Arkansas, Bowman said.
Firefighters in Central California have the assistance of strike teams consisting of Ford pickups, a water pump and three firefighters from Colorado and Kansas who can be called upon if needed.
“There are 250 of these pickups that are assigned throughout the state,” Bowman said. “Most are helping with local units like us, but many are assigned to fires up north.”
Fire officials are urging visitors to take extra precautions this summer.
“We’re not even into the typical fire season,” Bowman said. “It’s very early to try to get these under control.
West Coast 911 news – Fresno Bee
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