A huge wildfire in northeast California has run up a firefighting tab in excess of $50 million and become the second priciest blaze in the state this year, officials said. The King Fire east of Sacramento has cost some $53 million to fight since it began nearly two weeks ago, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said.
"It takes a lot of resources to fight a fire of this magnitude," Berlant said. The figure ranks behind the $86 million that has been spent to tame a still-burning fire in Klamath National Forest along the California-Oregon border. However, those figures are nowhere near the more than $127 million spent to stop the Rim Fire last year in Yosemite National Park, Berlant said. Nearly 8,000 firefighters are currently battling the King Fire that has burned 145 square miles and stretched into Nevada. Flames have destroyed 12 homes, and another 21,000 structures — half of them homes — were threatened.
IN-DEPTH
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-- The Associated Press
