California wildfire closes tourist castle

A major tourist attraction on California's central coast has been closed for the week as a safety precaution due to a wildfire in the area that has destroyed more than 30 homes, state officials say.

The historic Hearst Castle, built in the early 20th century for publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, is no longer in immediate danger but the so-called Chimney Fire crept within five kilometres of the castle over the weekend before shifting direction, authorities said.

The blaze, one of a half-dozen large wildfires currently raging across California, has charred nearly 12,950 hectares and destroyed 48 structures, including 34 homes, since erupting on August 13 in the rugged coastal mounts of San Luis Obispo County.

Nearly 1,900 structures were listed as threatened and about 2,500 people remained under evacuation orders on Monday.

Fire crews have carved containment lines around 35 per cent of the fire's perimetre, and the blaze is now burning mostly toward the northeast, away from the castle and populated areas, said Stacey Nolan, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Nevertheless, the California Parks and Recreation Department said the castle, a state-designated "historical monument" that hosts nearly 800,000 visitors a year, would be kept closed through August 28 "due to the proximity of the wildfire."

California is one of nine Western states contending with a rash of about 30 some blazes that have scorched more than 162,000 hectares combined across the drought-parched region.

Emergency officials confronting a cluster of wildfires with limited resources in eastern Washington state on Monday enlisted the help of local farmers to help battle flames that have destroyed about two dozen buildings near Spokane, authorities say.