California wildfires: Norte, Henderson and Cooley fires burn across the state

Tonight, some positive news as containment is growing on multiple wildfires. Good evening, everyone. I'm Mike Meeback. This evening, we are monitoring several incidents, including the Cooley Fire in Mendocino County. Officials say it started Friday afternoon when a controlled burn right near Lake Sonoma got out of control. Plus, in Southern California, firefighters making progress on several wildfires that were being pushed by those warm Santa Ana winds. These include the Norte, Bryson, and Henderson fires. For a closer look at the firefight across California, KTVU's Betty Yu with us now in studio. Betty? Mike, tonight that Norte fire in Orange County is now 60% contained after destroying homes and forcing thousands to evacuate. But here in Northern California, it's a different story. The Cooley fire in Mendocino County has grown to more than 1,100 acres as crews battle difficult terrain. Flames tore through neighborhoods in Southern California, leaving behind charred homes and a trail of destruction. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a puff of smoke, and I'm like, oh my God. The Norte fire broke out Friday in Orange County, spreading through parts of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. At least six homes were destroyed as thousands of residents were forced to evacuate. There were 4,000 houses that were required to evacuate, and only six were burned. So that's an amazing story, success on the fire department side, that they were able to protect that many. The fire has scorched more than 570 acres, but firefighters have made significant progress. We had many resources pre-positioned, and we deployed a very, very robust response. Crews will spend the next several days putting out hotspots and repairing areas disturbed by firefighting operations to reduce erosion. We mix up the ground out there. We change the natural layout as part of our firefighting effort. So now we go and try to do as much reversal of that as we can because we want to reduce the risk of erosion. Farther south in San Diego County, firefighters are also gaining ground on the Henderson fire at Camp Pendleton. The fire burned more than 3,200 acres and is now 85% contained. It previously forced evacuations and temporarily shut down Interstate 5. Hundreds of miles north, firefighters are battling a growing wildfire in Mendocino County. The Cooley Fire, west of Cloverdale, has burned more than 1,100 acres and is just 15% contained. Crews are battling flames in steep, rugged terrain. Night-flying helicopters have assisted with operations as firefighters arrive to strengthen containment lines. Smoke has been visible across parts of Mendocino, Lake, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, contributing to poor air quality. And in Marin County, firefighters are preparing to intentionally set fires to help prevent more destructive wildfires. A prescribed burn could begin Monday near Bon Tempe Reservoir on Mount Tamalpais. Crews plan to burn up to 25 acres of vegetation, reducing the fuel available to future wildfires. And Marin County fire officials are asking residents not to call 911 simply to report smoke from that planned burn so those emergency lines can remain available for actual emergencies. Now, the prescribed burn could continue for several days depending on the conditions, Mike. Betty, those Santa Ana winds, I mean, they were blowing down south. Do we know if any power lines came down or what any of the possible causes may be tonight? We certainly know those winds did help spread the flames, but no official cause at this time. And as you mentioned, that Cooley fire, it broke out near a controlled burn, but at this time, no official cause. Got it. Betty, you live tonight here in studio. Betty, thank you.