9/26 King Fire Friday Update: Containment Grows As Weather Changes

11:15 a.m. - Containment Grows To 68 Percent

Fire officials report Friday morning that containment of the King Fire has grown to 68 percent, while the size of the fire has increased only slightly, to 96,004 acres.

Some of the crews fighting the blaze have left, as 7,749 personnel were assigned to the incident, compared to more to 8,000 on Thursday.

1:30 a.m. Original Story:

(AP) — A day of light rain has brought big gains against the King Fire, reducing the number of threatened homes from thousands to hundreds.

Fire officials say fewer than 300 structures are threatened by the fire on Thursday night, a figure they put at 12,000 at the beginning of the day.

Calls for evacuation in two communities were reduced from mandatory to voluntary, leaving just one neighborhood under strict evacuation orders. It wasn't immediately clear how many people remained away from their homes.

The rains had brought fears of flash floods and dangerous conditions in the huge burn area, but they remained light and helpful to the firefight.

The blaze is now 55 percent contained after burning 95,347 acres. There are 8,061 personnel working the incident.

The Pacific system came through the fire area Thursday, bringing 0.6-0.9 inches of rain. Fire activity was minimal, with smoldering in interior pockets of the heavier fuels. The rain began moving out of the area around 3 p.m., followed by clear skies.

Evacuations, as of Thursday night:

Evacuations for the Volcanoville and Quintette area are reduced to Voluntary Evacuation status. Residents may return to the following streets at their discretion:

Bear Foot Road, Bear State Road, Bird Nest Lane, Blodgett Forest Road, Bojac Court, Bootjack Mine Road, Carey Ave, Cassill Mine Road, Cecil Lane, Cedar Cable Road, Chiquita Bypass, Christmas Tree Lane, Country Road, Coyote Court, Ditch Camp Road, Dusty Camp Road, East Carey Avenue, El Bosque, Garden Tower Lane, Harmony Lane, Haven Ridge Road, Hobby Horse Lane, Homewood Drive, Horse Power Drive, Kentucky Flat Road, Lake Avenue, Little Silver Road, Lodgepole Lane, Lofty Peak Lane, Logging Road, Loop Cutoff Road, Loop Road, Merkel Drive, Middle Loop Road, Midway Loop Road, Mount Cedar Road, Narrow Way, Oso Mesa Court, Otter Creek Road, Our Place Road, Patchwork Lane, Paymaster Mine Road, Piolet Creek Road, Point Lane, Quintette Court, Ringtail Place,Ringtail Road, Rock Creek Road, Rubicon Road, Sand Mountain Boulevard, Shotgun Lane, Sleigh Bell, Snowy Way, South Creek Road, Spring Tunnel Mine Road, Star Lane Thumper Lane, Stickerbrush Trail, Sunset Peak Lane, Tall Timber Road, Tipton Hill Court, Tipton Hill Road, Tinsel Trail, Tricometric Trail, Trinity Trail, Tunnel Hill Loop Road, Tunnel Hill Loop, Hill Road, Volcanoville Road, Wentworth Springs Road (west of Mosquito Road), West Carey Court, White Fir Road, Wild Horse Trail, Winter Springs, Wolfridge Road, Woodpecker Road, Yuletide Way, 12 Mile Court, 12 Mile Road

Wentworth Springs Road east of Mosquito Road is still under Mandatory Evacuation including:

Dry Lakes Trail, Helix Flat Avenue, Onion Valley Road, Peavine Point Road, Plum Creek Road, Robs Cabin Trail, South Fork Trail, Un Road, 11 Pines Road

Road Closures as of Thursday night, per the El Dorado County Sheriff:

• Mosquito Road @ Stope Road
• Wentworth Springs Road @ Mosquito Road
• Ice House Road @ Highway 50 (Residents Only)
• USFS has the following road closures enforcing the closure of the El Dorado National Forest:
• Wentworth Springs Road @ Sand Mountain Road
• Wrights Lake Road @ Highway 50
• Forebay Road @ the forest boundary