Castle Fire swells to 12,000 acres. How long before it’s under control?

The lightning-sparked Castle Fire near the mountain community of Ponderosa in the southern Sierra Nevada jumped to 12,000 acres Tuesday, as the blaze and the nearby Shotgun Fire added to poor air quality in the central San Joaquin Valley.

Firefighters are using aerial and ground equipment to bring the blazes under control, but officials estimated that containment would not take place until Sept. 5.

Bulldozers are being used to build containment lines near Jerkey Meadow, using existing roads and trail systems, according to officials with the Sequoia National Forrest.

Firefighting efforts are constrained due to the demand for resources from more than 500 other blazes in California. Air Quality remained unhealthy due to the fires.

All trails leading to the Golden Trout Wilderness are being closed as the Castle Fire is expected to spread north and east and may jump the Kern River.

A total of 184 firefighters and support personnel are working to contain the blazes.

Hills Fire contained

The Hills Fire in western Fresno County has been contained, according to Cal Fire.

The fire has been burning south of Coalinga for more than a week and destroyed 2,121 acres.

At its peak, 700 firefighters and personnel were battling the blaze. That included pilot Michael Fournier, whose helicopter crashed while attacking the fire last week.

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 10:27 AM.