Calif. Wildfire Spreads in Butte County

Even as residents of Big Sur, Calif., were told Wednesday the worst wildfire danger was over for them, fires surged further north, officials said.

The Butte Lightning Complex Fire, which has been burning since June 21, rekindled late Tuesday when strong, unexpected winds foiled an effort by firefighters to employ a firing strategy to starve the brushfire of fuel, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The flare up prompted state officials to awaken residents in the small town of Paradise, Calif., early Tuesday and order them to evacuate. Forty homes were destroyed in the town 85 miles north of Sacramento, which had barely escaped a wildfire two weeks ago, the newspaper said.

In Big Sur, evacuation orders for the scenic resort area were lifted, allowing residents and employees to return.

The situation is improved, Greg Denitto, a fire information officer, told the Bee. There is a higher feeling of safety to residents and firefighters now.