California firefighters gain on blazes but brace for troublesome hot weather

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California firefighters continued to gain ground Thursday against large wildfires that erupted statewide during a late-spring bout of very dry winds.

The red flag fire weather conditions that spawned the blazes have abated, but forecasters warned large areas of California will see high heat this weekend.

In the mountainous Interstate 5 corridor north of Los Angeles, more than 1,700 firefighters achieved 52% containment of the Post Fire, which ignited Saturday and spread over nearly 25 square miles (65 square kilometers), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Post Fire has caused one injury, destroyed two structures and damaged one.

In Calaveras County Gold Country, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of San Francisco, the 8-square-mile (21-square-kilometer) Aero Fire was 58% contained after destroying three structures and damaging one.

The Point Fire in Sonoma County, about 70 miles north of San Francisco, was 75% contained at about 1.5 square miles (3.8 square kilometers). One injury was reported, along with three structures destroyed and two damaged.

In the northern Sacramento Valley’s very lightly populated Colusa County, the Sites Fire was 20% contained after spreading over 30 square miles (78 square kilometers),