California's King Fire now 68 percent contained

SACRAMENTO, Sept. 26 (UPI) —

Rain and cooler weather have helped bring California’s massive King Fire in the Sierra foothills to at least a temporary halt.

Officials reported Friday that the fire did not grow overnight after a storm dumped up to an inch of rain in the area and was 68 percent contained, up from about 43 percent Thursday morning. The fire, which began Sept. 13 and was whipped by dry winds into a major blaze a couple of days later, has now charred 96,000 acres or 150 square miles in El Dorado National Forest northeast of Sacramento.

"We had so much rain that we pulled nearly all the operational crews off the fire lines midday," Mike McMillan, a spokesman for one of the command centers, told the Sacramento Bee on Thursday. "For a good part of the day, we let Mother Nature handle it."

California, now in a prolonged drought, has had a difficult fire season that started early. About 8,000 firefighters were assigned to the King Fire, the largest contingent in the state’s history.

The Happy Camp Complex in Klamath National Forest in northern California was 94 percent contained Friday. The fire, started by lightning Aug. 12, burned across more than 130,000 acres.

A Pollock Pines man has been charged with starting the King Fire.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the rain has its downside. On Thursday, a flood warning was issued for the area because the charred hillsides do not hold water, and local residents were advised of possible mudslides.

"Overall, we welcome the rain, and if we can get more we’d love it," said Dennis Mathisen, a Cal Fire spokesman. "It helps lay down the flames and gives firefighters more ample opportunity to fortify the containment lines. But the flip side to it is there’s the potential for mudslides and debris flows in the fire area itself."