California fires damage more than 40 structures
(CNN) -- Firefighters Thursday are battling two fast-moving wildfires in Northern California that left more than 40 structures damaged or destroyed and forced the evacuation of more than 100 residences.
A fire in the Jones Valley area, about 20 miles northeast of Redding near Shasta Lake, blazed across 1,000 acres -- mostly in two hours -- leaving 40 structures damaged or destroyed, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It was not clear whether any of the buildings were residences, department spokesman Kent Hiemforth said.
Some 700 fire personnel have been summoned to help control the blaze, which was 20 percent contained by early Thursday, Hiemforth said. Air tankers and helicopters will be dispatched after sunrise, he said.
Area residents were evacuated to a nearby elementary school.
Sparks from a lawn mower caused the blaze, state forestry officials told The Associated Press.
In addition, firefighters worked overnight to control a fast-moving fire about 100 miles away near Oroville, according to Cyndi Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That fire destroyed one residence after officials ordered the evacuation of more than 100 homes in the wildfire's path, Wilson said.
News helicopters captured a scene of flames marching toward a number of buildings in the largely rural area.
The fire was reported Wednesday afternoon and had consumed 750 acres by early Thursday, Wilson said. About 30 percent of the fire has been contained, she said. Evacuees were taken to a local college.
The blaze was northeast of Oroville, about 75 miles north of Sacramento, and was moving north toward the historic town of Cherokee, Wilson said. More than 200 firefighters were battling the fire, with more on the way.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, said Janet Marshall, spokeswoman for the Butte County Fire Rescue.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
