California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the base of operations battling the blaze and noted the difficult conditions hindering firefighting, including temperatures near 35 degrees Celsius and dry brush that had not burned for years. On Friday, Schwarzenegger had declared a state of emergency to speed up relief efforts.

Elsewhere in the state, a fire destroyed 11 homes northeast of Sacramento and 100 homes were threatened, while one home had been destroyed in a 2,500-hectare blaze near Pinnacles National Monument in Monterey County. A further 50 homes were threatened by a 1,700-hectare blaze in Yosemite National Park that was 50 percent contained.