How to resolve AdBlock issue? LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Winds and topography continue to push the Jerusalem fire deeper into wildland, but firefighters have matched the fire's activity by making progress to put in the containment that ultimately will control it.
While by Thursday morning the fire had grown to 23,500 acres – with much of its northern perimeter now bumping up against the southern perimeter of the Rocky fire based on the latest maps – firefighters once again significantly increased containment, more than doubling it to 33 percent, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said in a Thursday afternoon report that the Jerusalem is the most active of the 14 wildland fires burning across the state.
Berlant said the Jerusalem fire was very active on Wednesday evening, but firefighters have made good progress on the blaze, which began on Sunday afternoon in the Jerusalem Valley area northeast of Middletown, and has since burned into Napa and Yolo counties.
On Thursday, Berlant said winds again were proving a concern on the Jerusalem fire.
Shortly before 2 p.m., weather and radio reports indicated that winds in the fire area ranged from 5 to 9 miles per hour from the south southwest and between 15 to 20 miles per hour on ridge tops, with winds expected to shift and come from the west northwest at between 8 and 11 miles per hour on Thursday evening, with gusts of between 25 to 30 miles per hour.
The Jerusalem fire is burning heavy vegetation, which Cal Fire said is producing “extreme” fire behavior, with the fire being driven by wind, the fuel and the steep topography.
Firefighters are continuing to be challenged in accessing the fire due to the area's lack of improved roads, Cal Fire said.
On Thursday firefighters were focusing efforts on the fire's southern and eastern flanks, where they continue to construct fire line to stop the fire's forward progress while defending structures, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said 50 structures remain threatened but none so far have been damaged or destroyed, with mandatory and advisory evacuations remaining in place for areas near the fire. Evacuation areas are listed at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?inciden .
On Thursday 2,053 firefighters remained assigned to the Jerusalem fire, with 140 engines, 57 hand crews, 28 dozers, 21 water tenders, 15 helicopters and four air tankers.
The Rocky fire to the north, which began July 29, remained at 95-percent containment on Thursday, with Cal Fire adjusting its overall size to 69,438 acres based on more accurate mapping, Berlant said. It's expected to be fully contained by Saturday.
Some 361 personnel, 24 engines, 14 dozers, eight water tenders and six fire crews continue to work on mop up and final containment on the Rocky. Berlant said firefighters are putting in the last containment lines around the fire.
Both the Rocky and Jerusalem fires are the two largest burning in the state, based on Cal Fire data.
The Jerusalem fire is still on track to be fully contained by Monday, officials said.
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