SATURDAY, JULY 12 P.M. UPDATE: Butte County and Paradise town officials on Saturday lifted the all immediate threat AND precuationary evacuations for Paradise and Magalia (where we live), allowing about 7,000, including many friends, to return home. Things are looking better and Cal-Fire lists our local fire as 55% contained as of Saturday aftenoon. But we're also very sad about a death, which we've heard is a 58-year-old man who likely died in the fire after refusing to leave his remote Concow home. The street he lived on was actually about 4 miles from us as the crow flies, across the canyon.

As reported locally and nationally, persistent fires have burned Butte County, Calif., and much of the north state since June 21, 2008. The Camp Fire (a conglomerate of the joined West Branch, Saw Mill, Empire and Flea fires) continues to burn just to the east of Magalia (where we live) and Paradise (where we work) in the lastest flare-up. The West Branch Fire, which threatened us two weeks ago, and prompted my last set of photos, was 90% contained. Monday night, however, all the local fires literally blew up in the wind, and doubled in size. As of July 10, the Camp Fire stands at 23,000 acres. Hardest hit has been the small town of Concow, which sits across the Feather River Canyon from Magalia. Fifty homes and 10 outbuildings have burned in Concow. As we've done for three weeks, we watch daily as the firefighters keep the fire on the east side of the Feather River. If it crosses, it could come up our side of the canyon to the towns of Paradise and Magalia. Donna and I are lucky, as we live still in the safe zone, though just two blocks from a precautionary evacuation area. We have six Rubbermaid containers full of what we consider valuables - and two cat carriers - ready to pile into the pickup if we have to go. But the fire remains a couple of miles away and we are in no immediate danger. Smoke covers the whole north state and Paradise today registered an unprecedented air quality index of 375. It's been tough, but aside from avoiding the smoky outdoors, we're OK. Thanks for all the calls and e-mails! Alan (NorCalEdit@sbcglobal.net). Permission must be granted for re-publication.