While the Mendocino Complex fire became the biggest wildfire in California history, a new wildfire dubbed the “Holy Fire” is gaining traction and posing a threat to areas within Orange County and Riverside County. The Holy Fire has already burned through 4,000 acres since it began at the Cleveland National Forest’s Trabuco Canyon, near Orange County, on Monday afternoon, has quickly spread to Riverside County and it remains only 2% contained, U.S. Forest Service officials said Tuesday afternoon. The fire has spread quickly because of high temperatures and the area’s steep terrain, according to the Cleveland National Forest. The cause of the blaze, which has shown no sign of slowing down as of Tuesday afternoon, is still under investigation. Dry weather conditions made it possible for the fire to spread as quickly as it did, according to Luis Haynes, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, who added that the wildfire is being fueled by dry shrubs and grass. “Were seeing the effects of the drought that California has experienced,” Haynes told TIME. “The lack of moisture makes it easier for wildfires to spread which is what were seeing all over the state.” Six hundred personnel—including members of the U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Orange County Fire Authority and Riverside County Fire Department—are currently working to put out the blaze, according to Cleveland National Forest. Two firefighters have suffered minor injuries. U.S Forest Service said fire officials have dropped thousands of gallons of fire-retardant from helicopters and DC-10 air tankers, but have still not been able to stop the wildfire. As of Tuesday afternoon, one home in Orange County has been evacuated and two structures have been damaged. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for nearby Blue Jay and El Cariso campgrounds. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory until Wednesday morning. Winds from the fire will come from the west and southwest on Tuesday before transitioning to a southern wind during the overnight hours, according to the air pollution control agency. The agency said overnight and early tomorrow morning, downslope winds may bring smoke into valleys west and southwest of the fire, possibly reaching parts of Orange County, Riverside County and San Bernardino County. The agency warned residents that if they smell smoke or see ash from a wildfire to limit exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed or to seek alternate shelter. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com.<doc-sep>The Holy Fire in California has burned over 22,000 acres since it began and damaged or destroyed over 20 structures. Thanks to continued progress made by firefighters, however, the flames are expected to be fully contained by Sunday. The fire began on August 6 in Holy Jim/Trabuco Canyon in Southern California and has since spread to 22,885 acres and completely destroyed at least 12 structures. While the cause of the fire is still listed as unknown on the National Wildfire Coordinating Groupwebsite, 51-year-old Forrest Gordon Clark was arrested in connection to the fire and charged with two counts of felony arson, one count of felony threat to terrorize and one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest. Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Milligan previously told Newsweek that he'd received an angry text from Clark about three weeks before the fire that said, "This whole place is going to burn like you planned." While he wasn't sure about the meaning of the text, he took it seriously and alerted authorities at multiple agencies. Milligan added that there were numerous instances of Clark berating his neighbors over clashing religious viewpoints to the point where Milligan didn't want to have to interact with him. "He is very intelligent, calculating and manipulative," Milligan told Newsweek about Clark. "He knows what he's doing." Clark owns a cabin in the area and during his first court appearance called the charges against him a "lie," according to the Los Angeles Times. His bail was set at one million dollars and during a postponed arraignment on Friday, Judge Kimberly Menninger ordered Clark to undergo a mental evaluation, according to CNN. Menninger expressed doubt that the defendant was competent after a series of outbursts during the hearing. If convicted, Clark faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. To fight the blaze, helicopters and airplanes dropped fire retardant on the flames and an estimated 1,000 firefighters were sent to the Cleveland National Forest. Evacuations were ordered for over 21,000 people and about 9,000 structures were threatened. However, on Wednesday, all evacuations had been lifted. Originally expected to be contained on Tuesday, the estimated date of containment was pushed back when the terrain of the remaining burn area proved to be hard to reach. Jake Rodriguez, a U.S. Forest Service public information officer, told KNBC that the 324 firefighters assigned to the Holy Fire on Monday were predominantly focused on fire suppression rehab, including filling in holes caused by dozers. "It's never over till it's over," Rodriguez explained. "It's going to be a marathon to close it all up, but the heat of the battle is over now. It's the more tedious work now to get it all buttoned up and secure." As of Wednesday, the fire was at 91 percent containment. The Orange County Fire Authority is asking anyone who was in the Holy Jim Canyon area on August 6 around when the fire began at 1:30 p.m. PDT to contact Investigator William Lackey at 714-573-6700 or 714-573-6709. Firefighters are battling several other blazes throughout the state, including the Mendocino Complex fire, which has burned 410,482 acres since it began on July 27. It's has since become the largest fire in California's history, claiming the life of one firefighter and destroying over 170 structures. On Wednesday, it was at 74 percent containment and is expected to be fully contained on September 1.<doc-sep>TRABUCO CANYON, CA — With firefighters focused on dousing hot spots Monday, they expect to have the Holy Fire burning in Riverside and Orange counties fully contained by Tuesday, authorities said. The blaze has charred nearly 23,000 acres of the Cleveland National Forest and was last reported as 92 percent contained, fire officials said. Orange County Fire Authority is seeking information from anyone who was in the Holy Jim Canyon area on Aug. 6, according to recent outreach.<doc-sep>A wildfire that started near Trabuco Canyon Monday afternoon was dubbed the Holy fire, referring to the Holy Jim Canyon area. The man behind that name may not have been as pious as his nickname implies. An arson suspect was arrested Wednesday, and he refused to leave his jail cell for his arraignment Thursday. By Friday, the fire grew to 19,107 acres as it neared homes in Lake Elsinore. This map shows where the fire is burning, evacuated neighborhoods and shelters, closed schools and places to take animals.<doc-sep>
Full containment of the 15-day-old Holy fire will be longer than expected because flames have begun burning into remote areas, officials said Tuesday. “Some of the area that is burning is kind of hard to access and a little harder to get in,” said Kevin Ferris, a U.S. Forest Service public affairs employee. Over 500 firefighters are battling the blaze and officials initially anticipated that full containment would occur on Tuesday. That estimate has been pushed back to Sunday, however. As of Tuesday, the Holy fire, which has been burning in Orange and Riverside counties, has scorched 22,986 acres and is 91% contained, according to officials. Authorities have concluded that the fire was the result of arson. Meanwhile the Mendocino Complex fire — the largest recorded in California history — continues to burn since it broke out nearly a month ago. The blaze, made up of the Ranch and River fires, has burned a total of 404,532 acres. The River fire is 100% contained, according to Cal Fire, while the Ranch fire continues to threaten around 1,000 structures and is 74% contained. The fire continued to burn through steep terrain overnight after new evacuations were ordered Sunday in Lake County, Mendocino County, Colusa County and Glenn County. Over 600 firefighters are also battling a new fire that broke out Sunday afternoon in the Los Padres National Forest in the Santa Maria area. The Front fire has burned 900 acres and is 29% contained, according to Inciweb. The cause of that fire is still under investigation. melissa.etehad@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad