A lightning-sparked blaze in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest grew to 1,331 acres and was about 5 percent contained as of Saturday morning, fire official said.
Crews working in warm and windy conditions have successfully built and improved containment lines, but moderate winds could help the fire spread, mainly south, the U.S. Forest Service said.
The lightning-sparked blaze broke out Tuesday in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest about halfway between Eureka and Redding, where temperatures were in the 90s Friday and expected to stay the same through the weekend.
Power was restored to the town of Hyampom, which went dark when the fire began because power lines run close to the blaze, the Forest Service said.
The fire that roared across 750 acres in one day north of the community of Hyampom is the largest of 20 lightning-sparked blazes that have broken out in the area this week. The town of 240 people is on alert to be ready to evacuate, Corey Wilford, U.S. Forest Service public information officer for Northern California Team Two, told the Redding Record Searchlight.
Plants hit by drought have helped the blaze spread, though some of the bushes still have enough moisture to slow the flames, Wilford said.
"It's not running through that brush. It's slowly chewing through it,'' he said. "We're seeing a lot of ... creeping fires, especially along the southern and southeastern edges.''
No injuries or damaged structures have been reported, he said.
