Changing weather prompts more wildfire fears in California

San Francisco: An unwelcome change in the weather, with higher winds, temperatures and lightning that threatens to spark new wildfires was coming Sunday to parched Northern California, where firefighters have for nearly a week battled three huge complexes of fires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee.

Firefighters made slow but hopeful progress in battling the blazes on Saturday, aided by good weather but hampered by smoky skies that grounded water-dropping aircraft for some of the day. Reinforcements arrived to bolster overwhelmed crews, and evacuation orders were lifted in some areas.

But the changing weather brought fears of new fires overnight and warnings from state and local officials for residents in threatened areas to prepare to flee at any moment.

There's not a feeling of pure optimism, but a feeling of resolve, a feeling of we have resources backing us up, Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore said.

Since Aug. 15, state fire officials said more than 12,000 lightning strikes across the state have ignited more than 500 wildfires. Of those, about two dozen major fires were attracting most of the state's resources.

Most of the damage was caused by three clusters of fire complexes that were ravaging forest and rural areas in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. They have burned 1,120 square miles (2,900 square kilometers).

Among the casualties were ancient redwood trees at California's oldest state park, Big Basin Redwoods, plus the park's headquarters and campgrounds. Smoke from the fires made the region's air quality dangerous, forcing people to stay inside.

Overall, the fires have killed five people, torched nearly 700 homes and other structures and forced tens of thousands from their houses.