Another Fire in Sierra Foothills: Five Homes Destroyed in Placer County

Cal Fire says a blaze that started along Interstate 80 in the foothills northeast of Sacramento on Wednesday has destroyed five homes and threatens as many as 1,000 others.

The cause of the fire, which reportedly started in five separate locations on the east side of the interstate near the community of Applegate, is under investigation. Cal Fire says the blaze, named the Applegate Fire, has burned about 420 acres and is 20 percent contained.

Air tankers worked Wednesday to surround the blaze with fire retardant, and local news site YubaNet says an initial assessment of the situation early Thursday shows the fire lines have held. Tankers and helicopters are conducting an intensive attack to try to prevent the fire from spreading into residential areas.

The tankers were private planes contracted by the U.S. Forest Service with CalFire's tanker fleet grounded after Tuesday's crash that killed a pilot near Yosemite National Park.

YubaNet also has a complete listing of evacuation orders in the area.

More details about the fire's origins, by way of the Associated Press:

At least two callers reported seeing several car tires burning along the interstate's eastbound shoulder, California Highway Patrol officer Mike Martis said.

The cause of the fires, first reported about 1:30 p.m., remains under investigation, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for CalFire.

"We don't know the cause, but any time we have multiple fires that started in the same area along the roadside, that tells us we probably have human activity," Berlant said. "It does not necessarily point toward arson, but our investigators are working to determine that."