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"A wildfire burning for weeks on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada jumped in size Wednesday, forcing more than 2,500 campers, hikers, employees and residents to evacuate a recreation area outside Kings Canyon National Park.Strong high pressure over the Hume Lake area in central California will keep warmer and drier conditions over the blaze Wednesday and could pose a challenge to firefighters, even as a cooling trend continues in other parts of the state.Sparked by lightning July 31, the Fresno County blaze tore through timber, brush and tall grass in the Sierra National Forest, growing to nearly 48 square miles. It grew by about 10 square miles since Tuesday. It is just 3 percent contained.About 100 miles to the southwest, crews dogged by persistent onshore winds protected 339 homes threatened by a wildfire near Santa Margarita, a rural town north of San Luis Obispo in the Santa Lucia Mountain foothills.The biggest threat to residences was from spot fires that leaped over containment lines, fire spokesman Bennet Milloy said.At nearly 4 square miles, the blaze burning in steep terrain was 15 percent contained.About 800 people remain evacuated from the small town near U.S. 101 in San Luis Obispo County.There are 16 wildfires burning in California with more than 10,000 firefighters on the frontlines. While a new wildfire ignited Tuesday in Humboldt County, firefighters contained three other wildfires that had been burning. The Humboldt County fire, northeast of Shelter Cove, has burned about 50 acres and was 5 percent contained Wednesday.Firefighters were dealing with abnormally high temperatures for the season, drought-stressed fuels that haven't burned in 30 years, steep terrain and the danger of oak tree mortality, said Cal Fire spokesman Bennet Milloy.\"These oaks become so starved for moisture,\" he said. \"We heard them falling all night last night.\"More than 440 California National Guard soldiers joined the firefighters this week, and thousands more were being trained, according to Cal Fire's Mike Mohler.Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said with temperatures returning to a more seasonable, normal level, firefighters are hoping to continue making progress on the wildfires burning statewide.In Southern California westerly winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph will surface across the Kern County Mountains, Antelope Valley, Banning Pass, and the eastern side of the Cleveland National Forest.Meanwhile, a fire burning 100 miles north of San Francisco that has charred more than 39 square miles is 95 percent contained Wednesday."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.ksbw.com/article/central-california-wildfire-grows-spurs-thousands-to-flee/1057357>