Firefighters remain busy as they battle nine major wildfires burning in California and are bracing for increased winds and lightning. Over 5,500 firefighters continue to battle the large fires and are making progress including the recent containment of two large fires. Several wildfires have already been sparked by lightning over the past 12 hours, including a new 200 acre fire in Kern County.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning due to the possibility of dry lightning in combination with gusty winds for most of the foothills and mountains of Northern California. The thunderstorms are expected to initially be dry, which will heighten the fire danger, but should begin to bring some rainfall by midweek. The warning starts today and is expected to last through Wednesday. For more information on the warnings visit:http://calfire.ca.gov/communications/communications_firesafety_redflagwarning.php
In preparation for the heightened fire potential due to the lightning, CAL FIRE increased its staffing over the weekend bringing on additional personnel and staffing extra resources. The California National Guard is also assisting fire crews with the aid of several helicopters and two C-130 aircraft used as airtankers.

Fires of Interest:
CAL FIRE Incidents

Swedes Fire, Butte County
Southeast of Oroville
* 1,995 acres - 45% contained
* 700+ structures threatened
* Evacuations in effect

Bridges Fire, Calaveras County
Southeast of Vallecito, near New Melones Lake
* 47 acres - 80% contained
* Full containment expect today
Double Fire, Lake County
North of Hwy 20 near Clear Lake Oaks
* 70 acres - 100% contained

Federal Fires
American Fire, Placer County
US Forest Service - Tahoe National Forest
northeast of Foresthill
* 14,765 acres - 49% contained
* CAL FIRE is assisting

Rim Fire Tuolumne County
US Forest Service - Stanislaus National Forest
northeast of Groveland
* 800 acres - 0% contained

Shirley Fire, Kern County
US Forest Service - Sequoia National Forest/Kern County Fire
8 miles west of Kernville
* 200 acres - 0% contained

Orleans Complex, Siskiyou County
US Forest Service - Six Rivers National Forest
10 miles east of Somes Bar
* 16,776 acres - 25% contained

Salmon River Complex, Siskiyou County
US Forest Service - Klamath National Forest
1 mile west of Sawyers Bar
* 14,171 acres - 85% contained

Corral Complex, Humboldt County
US Forest Service - Six Rivers National Forest
east of the Hoopa Indian Reservation
* 4,600 acres - 0% contained

Aspen Fire, Fresno County
US Forest Service - Sierra National Forest
near Huntington Lake
* 22,746 acres - 95% contained

Cleghorn Fire, San Bernardino County
US Forest Service - San Bernardino National Forest
Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass
* 110 acres - 100% contained
For the latest on the fires visit CAL FIRE at www.fire.ca.gov or follow us on twitter at @CAL_FIRE. For a look at the statewide fire map: http://www.fire.ca.gov/general/firemaps.php. For the latest from the US Forest Service visit www.inciweb.org.