GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The nation's largest active wildfire grew to 333,890 acres Saturday, making it Oregon's largest wildfire in a century.
Fire crews worked against gusty winds and steep terrain to secure a containment line around the southeastern portion of the wildfire. The fire was spotting along part of the line, said Mike Ferris, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
"It slopped over the line that we had established and we're getting it tied back in," he said.
The blaze in southwestern Oregon and northern California is larger than one in 1933 that burned 311,000 acres. National forests weren't managed until the U.S. Forest Service was established in the 1890s.
A voluntary evacuation remained in effect Saturday at the southern tip of the fire in Gasquet, Calif., which has about 800 people. The fire was about 25 percent contained.
California's largest wildfire, which has burned 61,550 acres northeast of San Diego, was nearly surrounded Saturday. The blaze destroyed at least 35 homes since July 29, but was not threatening homes Saturday, the state Department of Forestry said.
The National Fire Information Center reports 5 million acres have burned in the country this year. U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth said the fires have cost $325 million to fight.
On the Net: National Interagency Fire Center: www.nifc.gov