Will California's Wildfires Affect Disneyland?

With some 15 wildfires still raging in Northern California, many are wondering whether Disneyland will be impacted by the flames. The theme park is located about 13 miles from Anaheim Hills, where certain residents were under a mandatory evacuation.

Disneyland had no plans to close or alter its operation schedule and all attractions at the park were set to remain open, a spokesperson for Disneyland told International Business Times Monday.

Pictures on social media from last week showed the theme park almost glowing beneath an eerie orange sky from the flames. The smoke and haze have now dissipated from the park as some of the fires have become more contained.

The Canyon Fire 2, which caused much of the smoke at Disneyland, was 90 percent contained as of Monday morning, according to the Orange County Register. Anaheim fire officials said the blaze consumed more than 9,000 acres of land. The fire was expected to be fully contained by Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the state, thousands of firefighters continued to battle around 15 severe wildfires. The death toll stood at 40 people Monday morning, while an estimated 5,700 structures were destroyed by the flames. But decreased winds meant firefighters were able to contain the fires more efficiently than they had been in recent days, gaining on some of the most serious blazes in Sonoma and Napa counties.

“Overall, things are feeling optimistic for us,” said Bret Gouvea, deputy chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, during a briefing Sunday. “We’re very cautious about that.”

Certain evacuation orders were lifted Sunday and Monday, bringing the total number of evacuees to 75,000 people – down from 100,000. At least 217,566 acres of land were destroyed by the fires.

“We’re turning the corner,” said Gouvea. “You’re seeing containment levels coming up. Things feel good in our gut as firefighters. So we just need weather to cooperate with us a little bit.”