More than 1,000 homes destroyed by 2 California fires

Scorched trees and burned vehicles and the remains of homes cover the landscape Thursday Sept. 17, 2015, in Anderson Springs, California. The Valley fire that sped through Middletown and other parts of rural Lake County, less than 100 miles north of San Francisco, has continued to burn since Saturday despite a massive firefighting effort. AP

MIDDLETOWN, California, United States — The tally of homes destroyed by two massive Northern California wildfires topped 1,000 Saturday after authorities doing damage assessments in the Sierra Nevada foothills counted another 250 houses destroyed by flames that still threaten thousands of more structures.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said the count of 503 homes destroyed by the blaze burning for more than a week in Amador and Calaveras counties comes as firefighters make progress and damage inspection teams have access to affected areas.

Cal Fire had reported 252 homes destroyed as of Friday night by the week-old fire that has charred 110 square miles (285 square kilometers).

“Some of the homes are tucked back in rural areas so it’s taken time to reach them,” Berlant said.

The fire, which killed at least two people, was 65 percent contained but still threatening another 6,400 structures.

A separate blaze in Lake County, about 170 miles (274 kilometers) northwest, destroyed at least 585 homes and burned hundreds of other structures. It has killed three people.

Residents of Middletown, the area hardest hit by the massive wildfire in California, were allowed to return home Saturday afternoon. Evacuation orders for other areas in Lake County remained in effect.