The State : 700 Fight Dozen Fires in Sierra Foothills

More than 700 state firefighters battled at least a dozen day-old, lightning-caused brush, grass and timber fires in the Sierra foothills east of Fresno as weather forecasters predicted thunderstorm activity through Thursday. “We are pretty sure we’ll get a lot more fires from lightning storms before we even manage to control the fires from Monday afternoon’s strikes,” said Bob Kutz, a spokesman for the state Department of Forestry. The Mill Creek fire near Wonder Valley was the largest at 800-plus acres. Officials said that blaze was 80% contained. Helicopters and air tankers were being used to battle the blazes. There were no reports of structures damaged or injuries.