Wildfires are chewing through parched parts of the West, including a resurgent blaze in California that forced residents of some desert communities to flee their homes. A look at the latest hotspots and what crews are doing to control them:
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
A 10-day-old wildfire chewed through more timber and brush in the San Bernardino Mountains, threatening thousands of homes and other structures as it stretched northeast into the desert.
The blaze about 90 miles east of Los Angeles has scorched more than 46 square miles by Friday — much of that after roaring back to life midweek. Residents of the tiny Mojave communities of Burns Canyon and Rimrock were ordered to leave their homes Thursday.
Evacuations were voluntary in nearby Pioneertown, where Old West-style wooden buildings were constructed for use as a movie set in the 1940s.
The forecast calls for weekend thunderstorms, which could produce mixed results for firefighting efforts, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Underhill said. Rain could help control the fire, but lightning could spark new burns while erratic winds could drive the flames.
More than 2,000 firefighters are working the blaze that started June 17, and costs are estimated to top $17 million.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
A week after lightning ignited a massive wildfire south of Lake Tahoe, hundreds of firefighters are still trying to get the 26-square-mile under control.
Some of the 210 residents of Markleeville have heeded a voluntary evacuation order and left the mountain town. Several campgrounds were previously evacuated, and two highways remain closed.
No buildings have been damaged in the fire about 20 miles west of the Nevada border, the Bureau of Land Management said. As of Friday morning, it was partially contained.
Meanwhile, a fast-moving blaze charred more than 50 acres and damaged three structures Thursday evening in Livermore, east of San Francisco. One firefighter was injured, but no further details were released.
The fire was quickly contained, but a barn, a vehicle and a shipping container were destroyed and a home was damaged.
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ALASKA
Wildfires are spreading in Alaska, but no new evacuations from threatened communities are underway.
Nearly 300 fires were burning across almost 945 square miles, with much of the activity in the dry and hot interior. Some places are so smoky that flights have been grounded, even for fire crews.
Fire managers are prioritizing where to send fire crews stretched thin as older fires wind down.
Earlier this week, residents in threatened communities and rural neighborhoods fled during voluntary evacuations. Among those affected were tribal villages and an international mushing champion who evacuated his sled dogs.
A tribal nonprofit flew out more than 60 elders, children and vulnerable adults on Tuesday from an Athabascan village, Tanana, which is about 4 miles from the edge of a fire nearly 59 square miles in size. Smoky conditions have prevented more evacuations.
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IDAHO
New wildfires have ignited in Idaho, including one that quickly raced across about 15½ square miles of grass and brush after a large bird is believed to have hit a power line and sparked it, officials say.
Hot, dry temperatures and wind complicated fire control efforts Thursday, The Idaho Statesman reported (http://is.gd/a4chDD ).
The largest of the fires burned about 6 miles north of Emmett and threatened several structures but no evacuations were expected, Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Carrie Bilbao said.
It is scorching both private and BLM lands.
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OREGON
Firefighters have kept a wildfire in a remote part of southwestern Oregon at just over 8 square miles.
Incident commander Doug Johnson said low humidity, temperatures nearing 100 degrees and strong winds tested firefighting efforts Thursday, with little effect. It’s more than halfway contained, but firefighters will keep watch as thunderstorms in the coming days threaten to cause more problems.
The lightning-sparked blaze started June 11 and is burning in the Rogue-River Siskiyou National Forest.
