California Wildfires Destroy Homes

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2014-07-27

Two wildfires in California have destroyed 11 homes and scorched thousands of hectares of land since Friday.

East of the state's capital Sacramento, hundreds of homes were evacuated along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range after the so-called Sand Fire burned ten residences and seven other buildings.

The blaze, which fire officials said may have been started by a vehicle driving over dry vegetation, is only 35 percent contained as firefighters face dry conditions, high winds, and triple-digit temperatures.

A second fire west of Yosemite National Park quadrupled in size overnight to consume 859 hectares. It forced the evacuation of about 100 homes in the community of Foresta, where one house was destroyed.

The park remains open.

Source: Voice of America

Federal fire officials are working to contain 19 blazes in six western states, with state and local teams battling dozens more throughout the region.

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