Sacramento, Calif. (KCBS/AP) -- A deep marine layer and backfires are helping crews make more progress in their battle against a wildfire that's been burning for a month near Big Sur. Officials expect to have the fire contained on July 30.
The fire has burned 27 homes and 34 outbuildings. The cost of fighting the blaze is now estimated at $59 million.
However, a handful of blazes are still keeping residents from their homes.
Daniel of Berlant, a spokesperson for CAL Fire, said that two weeks can make a big difference.
“We still have two major complexes, one in Butte County, that fire’s 90 percent contained and full containment is expected next week, and the second major complex for us is up in Shasta-Trinity County… that fire 80 percent contained and full containment expected next week.”
Berlant said it didn’t seem that long ago that the it seemed the whole state was on fire. Just 38 of the more than 2,000 fires sparked in the state in the past month are still burning.
On the Big Sur coast, the fire that's swept through 200 square miles of heavily forested land is now 70 percent contained. Most evacuees have been allowed to return home.
California authorities say many of the remaining fires are on remote federal forest lands that are harder to enclose because of drier, windier conditions at higher elevations.
(cfu)
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KCBS' Mark Seelig reports
