Mendocino Complex fires now at 300,086 acres

The Mendocino Complex fires now have burned 300,086 acres, destroyed 116 homes and still threatens more than 10,000 homes, according to Cal Fire.

The overnight growth occurred in the northern end of the Ranch fire, which spread another 7,000 acres or so and now is at 251,166 acres. Fire officials reported a jump in containment on the massive blaze that in its own right sits in sixth place for California’s largest wildland fires.

Fire crews now have 46 percent of the Ranch fire contained, officials said. That’s up from 20 percent on Tuesday.

The River fire, burning west of Clear Lake, hasn’t grown, remaining at about 49,000 acres. Containment increased from 78 to 81 percent overnight.

Every day assessment teams go into burn areas and count the losses. Wednesday the number of homes burned was at 116, up from 75 on Tuesday. The fires also destroyed another 105 other buildings.

A Cal Fire summary of the night indicated the fire’s northern section was the most active and continued spreading in dense stands of evergreens. Crews working the southern and southeast stretches of the vast fire strengthened containment lines.