SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters continue to steadily work around the 114-square-mile footprint of the Valley fire, building more perimeter lines and raising containment.

On Friday night, the fire remained at 73,700 acres, with containment up to 45 percent.

The number of threatened structures remained at 7,253 homes and 145 commercial buildings, with the number destroyed still reported as 585, Cal Fire said.

Several hundred more firefighters joined the fire suppression effort throughout the day, bringing the total number of personnel up to approximately 4,227, about 600 more than had been assigned to the Rocky fire during its height in early August.

Cal Fire said 442 engines, 94 hand crews, 72 water tenders, 68 dozers, 22 helicopters and two air tankers also made up the firefighting force on Friday.

Fire crews made good progress on Friday, constructing additional control lines, Cal Fire said.

There is concern that lower humidity overnight may allow for moderate fire activity, as the vegetation continues to dry out after the rain earlier this week.

Cal Fire Captain Lucas Spelman said firefighters are working throughout the fire area, building more containment line, plumbing the fire area with hoses, patrolling, putting out hot spots, and dealing with hot trees and ash piles.

He said the areas that remain the most active are the northwest and southwest portions of the fire, while the fire's center has the largest amount of containment.

The fire isn't burning now like it did before, said Spelman. “The fire is not spreading past our lines,” he said, adding that they've stopped the blaze's forward progression.

He explained that fire crews go in several hundred feet from the fire line, digging down to the dirt to make a buffer between the burned and unburned areas. They leave no brush behind in the process.

That hard work by hand crews ensures the fire can't creep, Spelman said.

When it's finally surrounded by that kind of hand line, the fire is considered fully contained, he said.

The changing weather is a concern, Spelman said. “Things are going to get hotter,” he said, noting that until the fire is contained, they can't let their guard down.

He said the firefighting crew is tired but everyone is still working at 100-percent.

“It's a very dynamic situation out there,” he said, with the situation being evaluated constantly.

Spelman said fire officials have not yet estimated when the fire might be fully contained.

Some evacuations were lifted on Friday evening, with residents of the Twin Lakes and Rancho Sendero areas near Lower Lake allowed to return home, and Middletown residents set to be able to begin going home on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

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