Salt Fire threatens major solar plant as it spreads from Coalinga toward Monterey County

COALINGA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Firefighters are making advancement connected the Salt Fire arsenic it enters its 3rd day, but steep terrain continues to situation crews, according to CAL FIRE officials.

The blaze, which started successful Fresno County, is present pushing westbound toward Monterey County connected the Central Coast.

Plumes of fume were disposable Friday from Highway 33 and Avenal adjacent Coalinga arsenic flames tore done rolling hills and inched person to the municipality of Parkfield.

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"It's precise steep terrain. It's precise hot, truly slows down our production, which is wherefore we've brought successful truthful galore much resources," said CAL FIRE spokesperson Alexander Hudson.

Air tankers launched from Coalinga Airport to enactment crushed crews. More than 1,000 unit are battling the fire, on with 9 helicopters, 65 engines and 73 bulldozers.

The incidental bid halfway has been acceptable up astatine Coalinga College, and CAL FIRE says further crews were brought successful overnight to fortify containment lines.

The occurrence is burning successful the footprint of the 2017 Garza Fire, which Hudson said is helping crews strategize.

"One important payment to this cognition is we're capable to look astatine the power lines that we utilized previously," Hudson said. "We person a truly bully moving narration with those landowners and we are utilizing immoderate of those locations that were palmy successful the past."

Evacuations stay successful spot successful parts of Fresno County, but officials expect containment lines to clasp adjacent Coalinga. The occurrence is present threatening ranchland successful southeastern Monterey County.

"It is simply a batch of ranchland down successful that southeast country of Monterey County that touches some Kings and Fresno counties," said Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez. "We person a ton of aureate rolling hills of oaks and pines, chiefly cattle ranches."

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The occurrence is besides moving toward 1 of the largest star facilities successful California, which Lopez said provides important powerfulness to some the Central Coast and Central Valley.

Crews person secured the bluish borderline of the occurrence and are focusing connected the southeast perimeter heading into the weekend.

Cooler temperatures are expected to assistance firefighting efforts.

The origin of the occurrence remains nether investigation.

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