Fires Engulf California Tourist Sspots Ahead Of Holiday Weekend

Evacuation orders were in place along stretches of Shasta Lake -- a camping and boating hotspot 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the Oregon border -- as soaring temperatures and high winds spur blazes at a relatively early stage in the region's fire season.

Hundreds of firefighters on Friday scrambled to contain three wildfires in drought-hit northern California that have scorched nearly 40,000 acres, including a popular tourist lake preparing to welcome hordes of visitors for the July 4 holiday weekend. Evacuation orders were in place along stretches of Shasta Lake -- a camping and boating hotspot 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the Oregon border -- as soaring temperatures and high winds spur blazes at a relatively early stage in the region's fire season. Around 40 structures were destroyed, including at least half a dozen homes near the town of Lakehead, an AFP photographer said. "We were fully booked, but right now you can't get in even if you want to," said Cecil Hengst, owner of the Lakehead Campground and RV Park, forced to temporarily close by evacuation orders.