This story was updated through the evening of July 6. Click here or more recent wildfire updates.
UPDATE 7:58 p.m. Friday, July 6
Cal Fire has published evening updates on fires burning throughout California.
Forward spread has been stopped on the fast-moving Irish Fire that flared up in Amador County Friday.
The County Fire burning since June 30 in Napa and Yolo counties has grown to 88,375 acres and is 42 percent contained. Evacuations are still in effect, and more information can be found here.
The Pawnee Fire, which began which began June 23 and is burning northeast of Clearlake Oaks in Lake County, is now 15,185 acres and 95 percent contained.
- Capital Public Radio Staff
UPDATE 7:01 p.m., Friday, July 6
(AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for San Diego County, where a wildfire has destroyed several homes.
Brown issued the declaration on Friday because of a blaze that tore through the community of Alpine, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of San Diego.
Reporters at the scene say at least five homes and perhaps a dozen or more burned.
Fire officials say they've stopped the growth of the 400-acre blaze but hotspots still threaten homes.
Elsewhere in the county, a 330-acre fire on the Camp Pendleton Marine base that prompted the evacuation of 750 homes is now 40 percent contained.
UPDATE 3:12 p.m., Friday, July 6
(AP) — California officials say they are temporarily closing a hatchery and two other public areas because of their proximity to a deadly blaze near the Oregon state line.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery along the Klamath River, the Klamathon Road fishing access below the hatchery and the Horseshoe Ranch Wildlife Area have been closed as a precaution.
It said Friday staff will remain at the hatchery in Siskiyou for the time being.
The department says it's not known when the facilities will reopen.
Officials say fire crews found the body of a person killed in the Klamathon fire but gave no other details.
The fire is 8,000 acres and 5 percent contained.
UPDATE 11:48 a.m., Friday, July 6
(AP) — A wildfire burning through drought-stricken timber and brush near California's border with Oregon has killed one person and destroyed multiple structures as it grows largely out of control, authorities said Friday.
The person died in the blaze that started Thursday in Siskiyou County. But no other details were released because next of kin have not been notified, said Suzi Brady, a spokeswoman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The blaze is threatening 300 homes near Hornbrook, California, a town of 250 people about 14 miles (22 kilometers) south of the Oregon border.
It has burned more than 12 square miles (30 square kilometers) and is 5 percent contained.
The fire is being fueled by hot weather and extreme winds, conditions that are expected throughout the weekend, Brady said. "The fire jumped a major highway yesterday, and it's burning on both sides and is being fueled by extremely erratic winds," she said.
Multiple structures are threatened, damaged or destroyed, Brady said.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency, citing "extreme peril" to people and property.
Farther north in Oregon, authorities urged hikers and other outdoors enthusiasts to avoid forested areas near the Oregon-California border, where a blaze has killed one person.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said Friday that although the blaze has not crossed into Oregon, officials are concerned people in remote areas could be unreachable in case they need to quickly evacuate.
The areas of concern include the Pacific Crest Trail, Mount Ashland and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
Search and rescue crews may be prohibited from engaging in search missions because of fire danger, the office said.
UPDATE 10:03 a.m., Friday, July 6
(AP) — Authorities say a fire that jumped across Interstate 5 south of the Oregon border in California grew overnight but that all lanes of the highway have reopened.
The California Highway Patrol says officers are escorting motorists through the area Friday but that conditions could change at any moment.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the blaze in Siskyou County has burned more than 12 square miles (30 square kilometers). It is 5 percent contained.
The fire that started Thursday forced the closure of some highway lanes and evacuations in Hornbrook, California, a town of 250 people.
California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency, citing "extreme peril" to people and property.
CalFire says that another wildfire burning farther south has destroyed nine homes.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office has reported one civilian fatality in the fire, according to CalFire. The deceased person has not yet been identified.
Capital Public Radio's Emily Zentner contributed to this report.
8:53 a.m., Friday, July 6
(AP) — A fire that jumped across Interstate 5 south of the Oregon border in California has closed the southbound lanes in that area, authorities said.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said Thursday evening that the southbound lanes would remain closed at Ashland, Oregon, with no estimated time for reopening.
The agency suggested motorists traveling toward California consider using Oregon 58 or 140 to U.S. 97.
The agency says the fire called Klamathon started Thursday afternoon and has forced evacuations in the small town of Hornbrook, California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday that the blaze had burned nearly 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) with 0 percent containment. Multiple structures are threatened, damaged or destroyed, the department said.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for Siskyou County, citing "extreme peril" to people and property. Hornbrook is in Siskyou County.
No further information was immediately available.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today