A change in the direction of the wind is making it tougher for fire crews battling a fire near Shasta Lake.
Overnight the “Bear” fired started heading south towards the resort community of Jones Valley. A spokesman for the Department of Forestry says 3,000 acres have been consumed now and 40 homes have been destroyed. The fire is 40 percent contained.
More evacuations were ordered during the night, forcing at least 300 people to leave the area.
Additional fire crews have arrived to fight the fire, bringing the number of firefighters on scene to nearly 1,200. The “Bear” fire is burning in the same area near Shasta Lake that was hit by a 26,000-acre fire in 1999. That fire destroyed more than 170 homes and was one of the state´s worst.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 4:43 pm