Butte Fire In Northern California Explodes In Size; State Of Emergency Declared
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A wildfire burning in Northern California counties has exploded in size over the last 48 hours amid extreme hot weather conditions, leading to thousands of evacuations.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management System authorized the use of federal funds to assist Cal Fire in combating the Butte Fire burning in Amador and Calaveras counties.
As of 9:45 p.m. Friday, the Butte Fire has burned at least 64,728 acres and is only five percent contained, Cal Fire officials said. The fire burned 4,000 acres on Wednesday.
Six structures and two outbuildings have been destroyed, officials said.
Cal Fire has announced evacuations for several communities in Amador and Calaveras Counties. A full list can be found here.
Evacuation centers have been established at the Jackson Rancheria hotel, San Andreas Town Hall and the Calaveras County Fairgrounds.
The Regional Administrator for FEMA's Region IX office, which is located in Oakland, determined the fire threatened such destruction to constitute a major disaster, FEMA officials said.
The funds will can be used to cover expenses for field camps, equipment use, tools, materials, supplies, mobilization and demobilization activities.
Fire agencies from Bay Area counties have sent crews to battle the Butte Fire, including Marin County, San Mateo County, Alameda County and Santa Clara County.
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