Crews slow progress of Sierra wildfire, but evacuations orders remain

Associated Press

Firefighters battling a Sierra wildfire that has burned more than five square miles north of Lake Tahoe are making significant progress slowing its growth. Still, hundreds of residents of a mountain community near the Nevada line whose homes are threatened by the blaze remain under evacuation orders. Official containment is still estimated at 0%, but fire officials say the blaze only grew a few hundred acres on Wednesday. The battle against a wildfire also got a boost in South Dakota thanks to cooler weather and lighter winds. Residents of the state’s second-largest city have been on edge, ready to flee if flames from a nearby blaze moved dangerously close.