Wildfire northeast of San Francisco chars more than 3,000 acres

NAPA, Calif., July 2 (UPI) -- A large wildfire continued to burn Wednesday, spreading to more than 3,000 acres in an area northeast of San Francisco.

Hundreds of people were forced out of their homes when the Butts Fire was reported Tuesday. At least 400 buildings were threatened and five burned by the blaze which was on the border of Napa County and Lake County to the north.

Fire officials said Wednesday morning the fire was only 30 percent contained. More than 1,000 firefighters were assigned to the blaze.

Lou Leet told the San Francisco Chronicle she got a phone call at work Tuesday to let her know her house was at risk. She ended up spending the night on a cot at Middletown High School.

"I just high-tailed it up there, but I couldn't get in," Leet said. "I still have cats up there. I'm very anxious to see if they're OK."

The prolonged drought in California has made for an unusually active spring and summer for firefighters. Normally, the number of wildfires picks up after the state's dry summer.

"The fire is burning like a fire would in October," said Scott McLean, a battalion chief with Cal Fire, the state's firefighting agency.