Wildfire near Lake Tahoe now 67% contained; 6 homes destroyed
Firefighters were gaining ground late Saturday in the battle against a wildfire in Placer County near Lake Tahoe that has destroyed several homes and is threatening 400 more.
The Applegate fire was 67% contained as of Saturday evening, according to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire started Wednesday afternoon, when small fires along Interstate 80 combined into a larger wildfire that has now burned 459 acres and destroyed six homes and four outbuildings.
More than 1,100 firefighters are now deployed to the blaze, which is about 40 miles from Lake Tahoe.
State officials announced that Gov. Jerry Brown secured a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to help cover the cost of fighting the blaze and rebuilding damaged communities.
Residents in some areas that had been under an evacuation order were being allowed to return to their homes Saturday.
Follow Abby Sewell on Twitter at @sewella.
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