SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A firefighter was killed in fighting North California wildfires, the first fatality from the rank of firefighters, while good progress has been made in the containment of 14 large wildfires burning across thee state, the California fire protection department said Monday morning.
A firefighter was killed in a vehicle rollover on Oakville Grade in Napa County, one of the hardest-hit counties about 70 kilometers north of San Francisco, with the total deaths in the statewide wildland fires climbing to 41, the Californian Forestry and Fire Protection Department (Cal FIRE) said.
About 11,000 firefighters continued to make good progress on 14 large wildfires burning across the California, despite the fact that several new fires ignited, it said.
On the current 14 large wildfires over 213,000 acres have burned, an estimated 5,700 structures destroyed and sadly 41 people have been killed, Cal FIRE added.
As containment figures have increased, many of the evacuations across the fires in Northern California have been lifted, it said in a press statement.
"Over 40,000 people remain evacuated, but many of the evacuation orders are being reevaluated," said the fire department.
Hot weather and low humidity will continue to challenge firefighters in their efforts to bring the wildfires under complete control. However, all Red Flag Warnings, the highest level of fire alert in the state, have been lifted, Cal FIRE said.
The wildland blazes in northern California, which broke out Sunday, have created the most deadly wildfire disasters in the state, destroying nearly 6,000 homes and business structures and forcing tens of thousands of people to be evacuated and sheltered in makeshift refuge centers.
