Massive King fire 12 days old; 12 homes destroyed, 12,000 threatened

The number of homes and other structures destroyed by the King fire raging in Northern California more than doubled this week as strong winds and low humidity whipped through the region, officials reported.

The roughly 95,000-acre wildfire burning in the Eldorado National Forest just east of Sacramento has so far destroyed 12 homes and 57 structures, more than doubling the damage estimate since Tuesday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Nearly 8,000 fire personnel have been working the blaze, which has been burning for nearly two weeks and continues to threaten 21,000 structures, including 12,000 homes.

Also on Wednesday, an inmate firefighter was struck by a tree limb and had to be airlifted to a hospital, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Firefighters have been able to achieve 43% containment despite strong winds and low humidity. And a weather system that moved into the northern part of the state Wednesday is expected to bring showers to the region, providing some much-needed relief.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department has continued to lift evacuation orders for some neighborhoods, although 2,830 residents remain evacuated.

The King fire, which authorities say was intentionally started Sept. 13 by Pollock Pines resident Wayne Huntsman, is the second largest fire in California this year, just behind the Happy Camp Complex incident.

The Happy Camp Complex, which is now 94% contained, has burned at least 132,733 acres since Aug. 11, according to the California Interagency Incident Management Team.

For breaking news in Los Angeles and throughout California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA. She can be reached at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.