Four of the most active fires had burned more than 53,000 acres in northern California, but in Oregon and Washington rain helped firefighters get the upper hand. The 32 major fires counted Wednesday afternoon were down from 42 the day before, said Rob Kopack of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. It's still very dicey in the Northwest right now. The fire outside Yosemite had burned 11,500 acres and closed some roads leading into the park. About 4,000 residents fled their homes and four homes burned.
Investigators believe the fire was caused by arson.
Many residents fled to Red Cross shelters. It's probably the worst fire we've ever seen, and I've been here 42 years,'' said Joan Tune, a Red Cross volunteer and resident of the threatened town of Coulterville. Lower temperatures in the mid-80s and higher humidity were expected Wednesday, but the area was still at risk, said Dennis Cross of the state Department of Forestry. There's no turning point yet,'' he said. The fire continued to jump lines that were already in place.'' About 80 miles northwest, a 3,800-acre wildfire kept about 50 evacuees in a Red Cross shelter set up in a high school.