Publication Date June 25, 2018 | Letitia Stein and Rich McKay

California wildfire threatens to cut off rural community

United States
Cal Fire firefighters pack hoses to fight wildfires at the Ventura County Fairgrounds fire camp during the Thomas fire in Ventura, California, U.S. December 12, 2017. Image: Patrick T Fallon, Reuters
Cal Fire firefighters pack hoses to fight wildfires at the Ventura County Fairgrounds fire camp during the Thomas fire in Ventura, California, U.S. December 12, 2017. Image: Patrick T Fallon, Reuters

A spreading wildfire threatened early Monday to cut off access to a rural community in northern California, where authorities ordered the evacuation of around 2,500 residents.

Erratic winds and high temperatures were fueling the Pawnee Fire in the Spring Valley region about 100 miles (160 km)northwest of Sacramento.

The blaze had jumped the single road leading to the mainly residential community in a couple of places, said Dale Carnathan, emergency services manager for the Lake County Sheriff's Office said. Some locals were refusing to evacuate, he added.

More than 230 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze, which had burned 7,700 acres, destroyed 12 houses and threatened around 600 other buildings, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.