As the situation evolves, some of the evacuation orders have been downgraded for the 214,112-acre wildfire, which is now 43% contained, according to Cal Fire. The containment increased by 11 percentage points from a day earlier. The fire is expected to be fully contained by September 27, the agency said Sunday.
The Caldor Fire is only one of a number of massive fires that have broken out across the American West this summer due to a severe drought in the region.
“Above normal significant fire potential is forecast to continue through September for much of the Northwest, Northern Rockies, and northern portions of the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain Geographic Areas,” the National Interagency Fire Center wrote in an outlook report last month.
Meanwhile, a firefighter assigned to fight the massive Dixie Fire has died due to an illness, the agency said.
The Dixie Fire has been burning in northern California for more than a month and a half. As of Sunday morning, the fire is about 894,000 acres and is 56% contained. The agency previously reported injuries to three first responders fighting the blaze but has not reported any civilian casualties or injuries.
There are 3,820 personnel assigned to that incident, which is burning in five counties and has grown to become the second largest wildfire in California history.
CNN’s Aya Elamroussi and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
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