BURNEY, Calif. — Federal, state, and local fire crews were tackling 14 wildfires Sunday in central and Northern California, according to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Dennis Mathisen, a spokesman for the forestry department, said the fires have consumed more than 183 square miles of timber and brush left parched by the state’s extended drought. He said the coming week promises not to be any easier.
‘‘Today we are looking at slightly cooler temperatures, but Northern California continues to be hot and dry and breezy in some areas, and in fact we are looking at a fire weather watch going into effect Monday morning for a large portion of northern and northeast California and possible thunderstorms, which could mean more lightning,’’ Mathisen said.
Firefighters in northeast California were battling a pair of wildfires burning without restraint about 8 miles apart. One of the blazes destroyed eight homes and prompted the precautionary evacuation of a small long-term-care hospital.
The two fires, which started within a day of each other in Lassen National Forest, had expanded into private property and scorched 90 square miles as of Sunday morning, up from 39 square miles a day earlier.
The more destructive of the two was threatening the town of Burney, where officials at Mayer Memorial Hospital decided to evacuate their 49-bed annex for patients with dementia and other conditions requiring skilled nursing.
The patients were transferred to a hospital in Redding, about 55 miles away, the hospital said on its website.