A pair of fires on either side of Interstate 5 are raging.
By Chris Roberts ••
A pair of wildfires are raging in northern California.
The Ponderosa fire in Shasta County has destroyed 84 homes near Redding and is 55 percent contained, according to the Associated Press. The fire began Saturday thanks to a lightning strike. 900 homes are at risk of burning. Visitors to Lassen National Park have been greeted with a wall of smoke, according to reports.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama counties, allocating more state resources to fight the fires. At the present, 2,500 firefighters are working to contain the fire.
In Mendocino County, the North Pass fire has consumed 17,820 acres of forest, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Campgrounds, cabins, and full-time homes -- 80 residences in all -- have been ordered to be evacuated by authorities, the newspaper reported.
This fire is being fought by 926 firefighters, mostly from Cal Fire, the newspaper reported. The fire began 10 miles east of Covelo in Round Valley outside the Mendocino National Forest.
