On Wednesday, Sacramento, California was awoken by a fast-spreading wildfire that has already spanned across 54,000 acres and three counties, CNN reports. By Sunday afternoon, only five percent of The Rocky Fire was contained, with firefighters still trying to kill it.
Cal Fire spokesperson Daniel Berlant said via Twitter that 2000 firefighters are dousing what NBC quoted him saying was a "very dangerous" fire. Helping them out, as per the site, are 6,000 personnel, who are on the other hand placating the blaze from San Diego down to the south of the Oregon border.
"This fire was very active throughout the night," Berlant told CNN. "It was really burning very fast, all the way up into the late hours, so unfortunately we're really not getting a break," he further explained.
Describing the destructive wildfire, chief spokesperson for the governor's emergency services office Brad Alexander told LA Times: "It can move as fast as the wind can carry it," faster sometimes than a person can run. So when you have perfect conditions for an explosive fire, it is critical folks are listening."
No one was hurt out of 12,000 people who had to be evacuated to safety. But one firefighter died in the midst of putting out the fire in Modoc County, about 100 miles south of Oregon. Only five percent of the fire was contained as of Saturday night.
As per NBC, California Gov. Jerry Brown expressed how he and his wife were "saddened to learn of the tragic death of U.S. Forest Service Firefighter Dave Ruhl, who left his home state to help protect one of California's majestic forests."
In turn, Brown organized more crews to fight off the raging fire. "California's severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox," he said in conjuncture to the death of the brave father of two and the ongoing battle of many.
According to LA Times, the massive wildfire, the largest California has ever seen, is largely caused and worsened by lightning and the inclement weather. But this isn't the only culprit. A woman was accused of setting a 200-acre fire herself near Groveland, just outside Yosemite National Park.
There was also word that a boy playing with a lighter near Bass Lake also instigated a fire. "We see this all too often," spokesperson for the Cal Fire Lynne Tomachoff told LA Times. "Curious kids want to see what will happen, but they don't understand the consequences."