Crime & Safety
Monterey County River Fire Scorches 40,000 Acres
The fire burning south of Salinas was nine percent contained Friday morning.
MONTEREY COUNTY, CA — A blaze raging in wildland south of Salinas in Monterey County, known as the River Fire, had scorched 39,464 acres by 7 a.m. Friday and seemed to be slowing, though Cal Fire cautioned it threatened major housing developments and was moving through steep terrain.
Many area roads are closed, and numerous rural communities have been evacuated.
Cal Fire said the following information about on the blaze was current as of 7 p.m.:
Find out what's happening in Watsonvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Fatalities: none
Injuries: 4
Find out what's happening in Watsonvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Residents displaced by evacuation orders: 48,000
Structures destroyed: 10
Structures damaged: 2
Structures still threatened: 3,005
An evacuation center is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. An evacuation shelter is operating 24 hours a day Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel.
Evacuees can obtain additional information at MontereyCo.recovers.org, and they can contact the Red Cross by dialing 211 from any phone.
Patch editor Courtney Teague contributed to this report.
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