August 4, 2014: A firefighter with the Anderson, Calif., Fire Protection District douses hot spots left behind by the Eiler Fire along Highway 89 near Burney, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
BURNEY, Calif. – Fire officials say light rain and increased humidity helped crews make progress against two wildfires in a Northern California forest that are just miles apart and are threatening hundreds of homes.
The smaller of the two fires in the Lassen National Forest is within sight of the small Shasta County town of Burney, though officials said it remained about 4 miles away on Tuesday morning.
The Eiler Fire, which has burned through nearly 45 square miles, did not grow substantially overnight. Crews also increased containment from 10 to 20 percent.
The fire is threatening more than 700 homes, some of which have been evacuated.
The nearby Bald Fire has forced the evacuation of about a dozen homes. U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jim Mackensen says containment on that fire jumped from 20 percent to 30 percent overnight. The fire has burned through 62 square miles.
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