The Lava Fire in northern California exploded more than 12,000 acres Tuesday morning, triggering evacuations and burning brush and timber in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
The blaze, burning between the city of Weed and Mt. Shasta, grew from 1,446 acres on Monday to 13,300 acres Tuesday night. It’s 19% contained, said Cal Fire, and about 800 firefighters are battling the blaze.
The Lava Fire is one of several fires ignited by lightning during mountain thunderstorms last Thursday. Two others, the Tennant Fire and Beswick Fire, are not nearly as large. The area had been under a red flag warning because of high wind and low humidity, as well as temperatures ranging from 100 to 110 degrees.
Crews thought