Making slow progress

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Firefighters made guarded progress today in battling the roughly 2,000-acre blaze, working their way along the edges of the fire line and trying to hold the fire’s large perimeter while allowing the blaze to burn away at its center, officials said.

Firefighters edged along the high-temperature crown fire focusing on keeping the blaze away from residences and safeguarding property and historical areas. More moderate winds allowed firefighters to strategize containment as they defensively stationed along its border, keeping the fire 50 yards away from the city’s only high school.

‘It’s such a hot fire, and it’s so intense, that for a while, you really couldn’t get any firefighters in the area,’ said Sgt. Don Atkinson of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department. ‘We’re concentrating right now on trying to save homes and keep homes from burning. The fire’s pretty much consuming trees and vegetation in the burnt area, and we’d rather it do that than consume homes.’

As the winds died down, the smoke settled upon the fire area, making visibility terrible and preventing water drops, which were finally restarted midafternoon today.

-- Tami Abdollah