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| Photo Credit: AP. Photo type: Representation. |
Firefighters on Monday, America’s Fourth of July began battling fresh California wildfire that broke out east of Sacramento at a recreation area packed with holiday revelers, forcing a number of evacuations, according to The Associated Press.
About 85 to
100 persons celebrating the holiday at a recreation area known as Vox Beach
along a river in the area were evacuated to a nearby Pacific Gas & Electric
Co. facility as the fire spreads, The Associated Press quoted Amador County
Sheriff Gary Redman.
Redman said
the evacuees were safe at the facility Monday night but were unable to leave
due to the fire danger.
“We can’t
get in there. Fire can’t get in there,” Redman told The Associated Press late
Monday. “The trees keep going down. The whole place is on fire.”
The
Associated Press quoted Cal Fire saying that the fire burning in Amador County
quickly spread to 959 acres (388 hectares) after 7 p.m. Monday. The fire agency
had earlier said few hours earlier on Twitter that the fire was 75 acres (30
hectares) in size and “burning at a dangerous rate of spread in dry grass,”
according to The Associated Press.
According to
Redman, the rate of the fire’s spread had slowed by 10 p.m. Monday and he was
hopeful those stuck at the PG&# facility would not have to stay overnight.
It is not
clear what caused the fire but it did start in the Vox Beach area which could
be linked to fireworks or a barbecue. Vox Beach is about 55 miles (89
kilometers) east of Sacramento, Redman said.