California’s Valley Fire 1% Contained, Burning Across 5,300 Acres

"ValleyFire off of Japatul Road and Carveacre Road, Southeast of Alpine in San Diego County is 5,350 acres and 1% contained", Cal Fire said on Twitter on Sunday.

According to the department, firefighters are "working against extreme temperatures, low humidity, and gusty winds".

The Cleveland National Forest said on Twitter on Saturday that the fire was threatening the community of Carveacre and evacuation orders had been issued. Multiple air and ground resources were on the scene.

San Diego Gas and Electric said on Twitter on Saturday that over 12,000 of its customers were without power because of the Valley Fire, but later issued a correction saying only 1,000 customers were affected.

According to a Sunday update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, nearly 14,800 firefighters continue to battle 23 major fires and lightning complexes in California. Over 10,500 people remain evacuated.

Since 15 August, California has seen over 900 wildfires, which have now burned over 1.6 million acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least 8 people have died because of the fires and nearly 3,300 structures have been destroyed.

On 22 August, US President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for California.

Two active wildfires in California, the SCU Lightning Complex and the LNU Lightning Complex, have become the second and third largest wildfire incidents in state history, respectively, according to department records. The SCU Lightning Complex has burnt across 396,624 acres and is now 88 percent contained, according to Cal Fire, while the LNU Lightning Complex has spread over 375,209 acres and is 89 percent contained.