The latest on California’s wildfires

July 30--It's the height of California's wildfire season and fire crews are scrambling from Mendocino to Yosemite down to San Diego. Here's where we stand this morning with the state's largest and most worrisome fires.

Carr Fire

What: As of this morning, the Carr Fire has destroyed 966 structures, according to Cal Fire. That makes it the the 9th-most destructive fire in California history, with records going back to at least 1923. The Carr is also ranked number seven among the top 12 most destructive fires that have occurred since 2015.

Where: Shasta and Trinity Counties, close to Redding

Acres burned: 98,724

Percentage contained: 20

Total structures destroyed: 1,159

Structures threatened: 5,012

Deaths: 6

Firefighters: 3,388

Snapshot: Firefighters worked through the night to build control lines. Today crews will work to mitigate potential spot fires as shifting winds, dry fuels, and steep drainages exist below control lines. Damage assessment will continue as conditions allow.

Quote: "We are seeing more destructive, larger fires burning at rates that we have historically never seen" -- – Jonathan Cox, Cal Fire regional Battalion Chief

River and Ranch Fires ("Mendocino Complex")

Where: Mendocino County

Acres burned: 55,987

Percentage contained: 10

Structures destroyed: 6

Structures threatened: 10,200

Deaths: none

Firefighters: 1,379

Snapshot: Firefighters continue to battle the River and Ranch fires. Crews worked throughout the night to reinforce containment lines. Weather conditions will continue to challenge firefighters as hot, dry and windy conditions persist.

Quote: "The fire activity was pretty incredible. The fire behavior is pretty extreme right now. It doesn't lay off much." -- Ron Busch, a battalion chief with Windsor fire who is leading a strike team of Windsor, Rincon Valley, Forestville, Geyserville and Dry Creek Rancheria firefighters.

Ferguson Fire

Where: Mariposa County

Acres burned: 56,659

Percentage contained: 30

Structures destroyed: 1

Structures threatened: none

Deaths: 2

Firefighters: 3,766

Snapshot: The Ferguson Fire, now in its 18th day, started July 13 on the Sierra National Forest and is being fought by crews under a unified command that includes the US Forest Service, California Interagency Incident Management Team 4, CALFIRE and the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office. Much of the fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain with little to no access roads. Mandatory and advisory evacuations are in place in several areas. Yosemite Valley will reopen to all visitors at 4 pm on Friday, August 3, with limited visitor services available that include campgrounds, lodging, and food service operations. Due to continuing firefighting operations along the Wawona Road, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and the Wawona Road (Highway 41) from the South Entrance of Yosemite National Park to Tunnel View will remain closed until further notice.

Quote: "It's really sad for the small, local businesses like us that can't afford cancellation insurance. And I've had to send sad emails to people coming from all around the world explaining that we had to close." -- Liz Skelton with the Yosemite Blue Butterfly Inn in El Portal

Whaleback Fire

Where: Lassen County, 20 miles northwest of Susanville

Acres burned: 14,098

Percentage contained: 20

Structures destroyed: none

Structures threatened: unknown

Deaths: none

Firefighters: 448

Snapshot: The Whaleback Fire increased in acres overnight Monday as the unburned fuels in the center of the fire continued to burn out. The fire has backed down to Eagle Lake on the eastern edge. The most active area of the fire is to the northwest. Weather today continues to be hot and dry, with increasing afternoon winds from the west-south-west.

Quote: "Today firefighters will continue identifying containment lines, continue constructing indirect and direct fire lines and continue providing structure protection for the community of Spalding and developed recreation areas." -- a story SusanvilleStuff, a local news site

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