Cooler temps help California firefighters

MORGAN HILL, Calif. — Some evacuations were lifted Wednesday as cooler weather gave firefighters a boost in their fight against a wildfire that is burning through bone-dry brush and threatening hundreds of structures in a remote area of California’s Santa Cruz Mountains.

Mandatory evacuations were lifted for Santa Cruz County residents, but road closures remain in effect for nonresidents. Evacuation orders remain in effect for neighboring Santa Clara County, where most of the 300 threatened structures are located, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The wildfire had charred more than 4 square miles and was 22 percent contained by Wednesday evening, said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Scott McLean.

A 10-degree drop in temperatures and increased humidity helped fire crews. The cooling trend was expected to last through the week.

The blaze won’t be fully contained before next week, McLean estimated.

It was among three blazes burning in Northern California during a time of year when the drought-stricken state sees its largest and most damaging wildfires, state forestry officials said.

The blaze broke out Monday during a statewide heat wave that brought witheringly low humidity and temperatures in the upper 90s.

It gutted at least one home and threatened 300 buildings, though it was not clear how many were homes or smaller structures.

This week, cooler temperatures and calmer winds were expected to help more than 1,000 firefighters battling the flames that flourished over days of withering heat, said Capt. Nick Wallingford of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.