Weather helps California firefighters battling Klamathon Fire

SAN FRANCISCO -- Firefighters battling an inferno scorching the California-Oregon border started to gain ground Tuesday thanks to some favorable weather conditions, officials said.

The Klamathon Fire was 45 percent contained Tuesday morning after growing slightly to 36,500 acres -- 1,250 acres more than the day before in Siskiyou County, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

The blaze erupted Thursday after a resident living southwest of the Klamath River allegedly lit a small fire on a friend's property, which then spread to a tree, jumped the river and spread into nearby hills.

Since igniting, the fire has killed one unidentified Siskiyou County resident and injured three firefighters. A body was found early Friday in the community of Hornbrook, and authorities have yet to disclose its gender.

So far, 82 structures have been destroyed, 12 damaged and 1,036 remain threatened, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters were met with humidity from Monday night into Tuesday morning, allowing them an opportunity to establish more containment lines, but strong winds Tuesday afternoon were expected to threaten the north and northeast flanks of the blaze with fire activity, officials said.

Evacuations were ordered for the communities of Hornbrook, Hilt, Colestin, Irongate Reservoir and Klamath River Country Estates in California, as well as Jackson County residents in Oregon. Emergency shelters were set up at schools in Yreka, Siskiyou County, and Ashland, Ore.

On Thursday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Siskiyou County.

The Klamathon Fire is one of nearly a dozen burning throughout the state in a fire season that's started unusually early.

The County Fire, burning in Yolo and Napa counties for nearly a week, was 80 percent contained at 90,288 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire. Full containment on the blaze is expected Thursday, officials said. Twenty structures were destroyed in the blaze and no others are threatened, officials said.