Crews gain upper hand on Northern California blaze

PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Rainy weather was helping firefighters make significant progress Friday in corralling one of Northern California’s largest wildfires this year.

The so-called King Fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills was 68 percent contained Friday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The blaze has burned more than 150 square miles in El Dorado County east of Sacramento but barely grew over the past 24 hours.

More than 8,000 firefighters were battling the fire, which destroyed a dozen homes near the town of Pollock Pines and had threatened as many as 12,000 other buildings. CalFire officials say fewer than 300 structures were still at risk.

Calls for evacuations in two communities have been reduced from mandatory to voluntary.

The rains had brought fears of flooding and dangerous conditions in the fire’s huge burn area, but they remained light and helpful to the firefight. A flash flood warning in effect for several hours was called off early Thursday evening.

“The rain is definitely allowing the firefighters to make progress on containment,” said Dana Welsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

Wayne Allen Huntsman has been charged with starting the fire. He has pleaded not guilty to arson and remains in jail on $10 million bail.

The fire has become the second priciest blaze in California this year, costing more than $50 million to fight since it began nearly two weeks ago. The state spent more than $85 million fighting a fire in Klamath National Forest along the California-Oregon border.

The King Fire is one of nearly 5,000 wildfires in California this year, a big increase compared with an average year of about 3,900.