Three of four firefighters who were injured in a wildfire blaze raging in Northern California were released from the hospital, a fire spokesman said Monday, after the Lowell Fire had burned about 1,700 acres.
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea said the federal agency still has one remaining firefighter in the burn unit at the University of California at Davis hospital. But he said two Cal Fire firefighters and one Forest Service firefighter had been released overnight after battling a blaze racing through Nevada and Placer counties.
By Monday morning, firefighters had 20 percent of the fire contained. They hope to fully contain the blaze by Aug. 1, according to Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. Cal Fire officials said the winds and the lower temperatures might help crews on Monday, even though "access to the fire is very challenging."
As of Monday, 1,800 structures in both counties remained under threat, and there were several mandatory evacuations still in place, Cal Fire said on its website.
Investigators have net yet determined the cause of the blaze, which was first reported Saturday about 2:30 p.m. in the Steep Hollow drainage west of Alta.
