7,000 more residents evacuated due to wildfires in California

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) said on Friday currently 42,100 residents were evacuated due to wildfires across California, 7,000 more people than 24 hours ago.

Over 6,000 of the people evacuated on Thursday came from Calaveras County, where a wildfire dubbed Airola Fire burned about 700 acres (2.8 square kilometers) and threatened many communities.

As of Friday morning, most of the evacuation orders triggered by the Airola Fire were downgraded to evacuation warnings, but many parts of Calaveras County and its surrounding area were still inundated with smoky conditions and limited visibility.

Meanwhile, more people could be evacuated in Kern County due to the French Fire, which had forced 3,600 residents to flee from their homes.

The American Red Cross opened up a third shelter Thursday for those fleeing the French Fire as more Kern County residents are placed under an evacuation warning.

The blaze, started on Aug. 18, west of Lake Isabella in Kern County, had scorched up to 22,916 acres (92.7 square kilometers) with 19 percent containment, the Inciweb said Friday noon, adding it remained active on both the north and south sides and threatened communities nearby.

The Caldor Fire raging in Northern California, started on Aug. 14, was still the top firefighting priority in the nation. It burned down 143,941 acres (582.5 square kilometers) with 12 percent containment until Friday.

About 3,200 firefighters, including some from other states, are battling the fire, Inciweb said, adding it was estimated to be contained on Sep. 8.

Some 24,548 residents were recorded on the evacuation list of CalOES due to the Caldor Fire Friday.