Publication Date August 21, 2016 | Wall Street Journal

California Wildfire Threatening Hearst Castle

United States
Smoke from a wildfire billows Saturday from a ridge line behind Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Calif. Photo: Joe Johnston, The Tribune, The Associated Press
Smoke from a wildfire billows Saturday from a ridge line behind Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Calif. Photo: Joe Johnston, The Tribune, The Associated Press

A wildfire [the Chimney fire] speeding along California’s central coast destroyed 48 structures and on Sunday threatened more homes, as well as Hearst Castle, a National Historic Landmark and popular tourist attraction.

More than 10,000 firefighters worked to contain six large wildfires across the state Sunday, battling flames made ferocious by dried vegetation after a five-year drought, erratic winds and high temperatures.

These conditions “used to be unusual, but now we’re seeing this is being normal. It’s what we expect to see now,” said Lynne Tolmachoff, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, on Sunday