California Wildfires

Wildfire destroys homes in Oregon, threatens thousands as heat persists

Ten structures including four homes have been destroyed by a wildfire sweeping through central Oregon, where thousands of residents remained under evacuation orders on Monday, while a blaze in Northern California wine country has so far spared some of the state's most famous vineyards. Officials said Oregon firefighters working in rugged terrain amid dry, hot weather saved hundreds of other buildings from the 34-square-mile (88-square-kilometer) Flat Fire spanning Deschutes and Jefferson counties. It was 15 per cent contained. We are deeply saddened by the loss of homes and personal property and extend our sympathy to those affected, Deschutes County Sheriff Ty Rupert said in a statement. Flames still threatened nearly 4,000 homes, fire spokesperson Gert Zoutendijk said Monday. He said crews were taking advantage of slightly cooler temperatures that dipped into the high 80s (31 C), and even some scattered rain. A little bit of rain does some good right now, but later, if the sun

Rapidly spreading brush fire forces evacuations north of Los Angeles

A brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles ignited and spread quickly on Thursday, forcing thousands of evacuations. The Canyon Fire ignited around 1.30 pm, growing to over 4.1 square kilometres in less than three hours, according to Ventura County emergency response. It remained zero per cent contained late Thursday afternoon and was spreading east, the county said. The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest. It is close by Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area burned by the Hughes Fire in January. That fire burned about 39 square kilometres in six hours and put 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings. In LA County, around 4,200 residents and 1,400 structures are under an evacuation order, and another 12,500 residents are under an evacuation warning, said spokesperson Andrew Dowd for the Venture County Fire Department. The evacuation zones in nearby Ventura County are relatively unpopulated, Dowd said

3 injured as California wildfire rages out of control, threatens homes

A massive wildfire on Monday was threatening hundreds of homes in central California after injuring at least three people as it tore through Los Padres National Forest. The Gifford Fire scorched more than 100 square miles (260 square km) of coastal Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, and was still burning out of control, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. A motorist was hospitalised with burn injuries after getting out of his vehicle and being overrun by flames, said Flemming Bertelson, a spokesperson for the US Forest Service. Two contract employees assisting firefighters were also hurt when their all-terrain vehicle overturned. The blaze threatened about 450 structures and forced the closure of the highway in both directions east of Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 people in Santa Barbara County. About 65 miles (105 kilometres) northwest of Santa Barbara and 150 miles (240 kilometres) northwest of Los Angeles, the

Global forest loss hits record highs fueled by extreme heat, wildfires

Fifteen of the 20 countries with the largest area of primary forests that signed the 2021 forest pledge are now losing trees faster than they were at that time, according to World Resources Institute

Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina amid dry conditions

Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds and evacuations were ordered in some areas. The National Weather Service warned of increased fire danger in the region due to a combination of critically dry fuels and very low relative humidity. In South Carolina, Gov Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Sunday to support the wildfire response effort, and a statewide burning ban remained in effect. Crews worked to contain a fire in the Carolina Forest area west of the coastal resort city of Myrtle Beach, where residents were ordered to evacuate several neighbourhoods, according to Horry County Fire Rescue. The South Carolina Forestry Commission estimated Sunday afternoon that the blaze was burning about 1.9 square miles (4.9 sq km) with zero percent containment. No structures had succumbed to the blaze and no injuries had been reported as of Sunday morning, officials said. The 410 personnel involved in the effort were expe

Equipment may have started blaze that erupted during LA firestorm: Utility

A California utility said Thursday that its equipment may have sparked a small wildfire in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as two massive blazes in the area that killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Southern California Edison said the Los Angeles Fire Department is investigating the cause of the Hurst Fire and believes the utility's equipment caused the blaze, which did not destroy any structures or cause any deaths. In a required filing with state utility regulators, SCE said absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with ignition of the Hurst Fire. In a second filing, the utility said it is looking into whether an idle transmission line became energised and possibly sparked the deadly Eaton Fire, which also sparked January 7 devastated Altadena. But it still maintains there's no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that blaze. The utility acknowledged last month that fire agencies are investigating

Universal Studios gives first responders of LA fire free theme park tickets

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the offer is valid until April 10, and a 50 per cent discount on up to three one-day general admission tickets for any guest

Rain falling in South California helps firefighters, creates risk of ash

After weeks of windy and dry weather, rain has fallen in parched Southern California and is expected to aid firefighters who are mopping up multiple wildfires. But potentially heavy downpours on charred hillsides could bring new troubles such as toxic ash runoff. Los Angeles County crews spent much of the past week removing vegetation, shoring up slopes and reinforcing roads in devastated areas of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which reduced entire neighbourhoods to rubble and ash after breaking out during powerful winds Jan. 7. Most of the region was forecast to get around an inch (about 2.5 centimeters) of precipitation over several days, but the threat is high enough to prepare for the worst-case scenario of localized cloudbursts causing mud and debris to flow down hills, the National Weather Service said on social media. So the problem would be if one of those showers happens to park itself over a burn area, weather service meteorologist Carol Smith said. That could be enough to

California approves $2.5 bn for state response to Los Angeles-area fires

California bolstered funding to help the Los Angeles area recover from its recent deadly wildfires under a more than USD 2.5 billion fire relief package approved Thursday by the California Legislature. Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the bills, which had bipartisan support, and now head to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. The proposals include USD 2.5 billion for the state's emergency disaster response efforts such as evacuations, sheltering survivors and removing household hazardous waste. They also approved USD 4 million for local governments to streamline approvals for rebuilding homes, and USD 1 million to support school districts and help them rebuild facilities. We need to be able to move with urgency, put aside our differences and be laser-focused on delivering the financial resources, delivering the boots on the ground that are needed and the policy relief that is needed to get neighbourhoods cleaned up and communities rebuilt, said Mike McGuire, a Democrat and presid

Firefighters battling to tame raging wildfire north of Los Angeles

Firefighters fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings. The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) of trees and brush near Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week. Though the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire risk, winds were not as fast as they had been when those fires broke out, allowing for firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant on the latest blaze. By Wednesday night, about 14% of the Hughes Fire had been contained. The situation that we're in today is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone .

Over 50K under evacuation orders as wildfire imperils homes north of LA

Nearly 20,000 people on Wednesday were ordered to evacuate as a huge and fast-moving wildfire swept through the rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, as parched Southern California endured another round of dangerous winds and two major previous blazes continued to smolder. The Hughes Fire broke out in the late morning and within hours charred nearly 21 square km of trees and brush, sending up plumes of dark smoke near Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area about 64 km from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week. A 48 km stretch of Interstate 5, a major north-south artery, was closed as flames raced along hilltops and down into wooded canyons. Crews on the ground and in water-dropping aircraft tried to prevent the wind-driven fire from moving across the interstate and toward Castaic, where most of the 19,000 residents were ordered to evacuate. Another 15,000 people in the area were warned to prepare to leave at a moment's notice, according to t

Fire risk, strong winds continue in California with expectations of rain

Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some badly needed rain this weekend, dampening the prospects of another round of killer wildfires though even a small amount of precipitation could could create new challenges like toxic ash runoff. Los Angeles officials were preparing for that prospect even as a small number of residents were allowed to return to the devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas and firefighters quickly controlled small blazes that broke out. Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides, install barriers and reinforce roads ahead of the possible weekend rain, which could create mud and debris flows. This is to prevent additional damage to areas already ravaged by fire and also to protect our watershed, beaches and ocean from toxic

Fire-ravaged Southern California braces for gusty winds, high wildfire risk

Southern Californians are bracing for gusty winds and a heightened risk of wildfires, less than two weeks after deadly blazes killed at least 27 people and ravaged thousands of homes. The National Weather Service has issued warning of a "particularly dangerous situation" for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning due to low humidity and damaging Santa Ana winds. Gusts could peak at 113 kmph along the coast and 161 kmph in the mountains and foothills. Windy weather and single-digit humidity are expected to linger through Thursday, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. He said the fire risk is also elevated because the region hasn't seen rain since April. Critical fire weather with wind gusts up to 97 kmph was also forecast for other Southern California communities on Monday and Tuesday stretching to San Diego, with residents urged to take steps to get ready to evacuate such as creating an emergency kit

Los Angeles 'Red Flag' wildfire warnings removed, but dangers persist

Some 6.5 million people remained under a critical fire threat, after the fires consumed an area nearly the size of Washington, DC, resulting in at least 25 deaths so far, authorities said

YouTube, Google donate $15 million for Los Angeles wildfire relief

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, assured everyone in Los Angeles of his support

Risk of fire tornadoes rises under California's extreme wildfire conditions

As if they aren't already facing enough, firefighters in California also could encounter fire tornadoes a rare but dangerous phenomenon in which wildfires create their own weather. The National Weather Service warned Tuesday that the combination of high winds and severely dry conditions have created a particularly dangerous situation in which any new fire could explode in size. The advisory, which runs into Wednesday, didn't mention tornadoes, but meteorologist Todd Hall said they're possible given the extreme conditions. A look at fire tornados: What is a fire tornado? Fire whirl, fire devil, fire tornado or even firenado scientists, firefighters and regular folks use multiple terms to describe similar phenomena, and they don't always agree on what's what. Some say fire whirls are formed only by heat, while fire tornados involve clouds generated by the fire itself. The National Wildfire Coordinating Group's glossary of wildland fire terms doesn't include an entry for fire torna

Wildfire warnings issued in Southern California as winds rise; LA badly hit

Millions of people across Southern California faced new wildfire warnings on Tuesday, and tens of thousands saw their power shut off as strong winds blew across the parched landscape around Los Angeles where two massive blazes have been burning for a week. Santa Ana winds that began gusting over the mountains before sunrise were forecast to continue with enough force to carry fire-sparking embers for miles and stoke new outbreaks across a region where at least 24 people have already been killed. "Life threatening and destructive and widespread winds are already here," LA city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a news conference. Much of Southern California was under an elevated fire risk, with crews on high alert across a 482-kilometre stretch from San Diego to far north of Los Angeles. Facing the greatest risk were inland areas north of LA, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley, home to more than 3,00,000 people, forecasters said. Nearly 90,000 househo

LA rental hits nearly $40,000 a month as fires swirl housing market

Since evacuees are naturally looking for residences close to their burned properties, the competition is fiercest in areas that were already tight

Lawsuit claims utility's equipment sparked Eaton Fire, probe underway

A lawsuit filed on Monday against Southern California Edison claims the utility's equipment sparked the deadly Eaton Fire burning just outside Los Angeles and Edison has acknowledged fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started a smaller LA-area fire that broke out the same day. Authorities still haven't determined an official cause for any of the fires, which began last Tuesday amid hurricane-force winds and have killed at least 24 people in and around Los Angeles. A team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking the lead on the investigations and whether there is a connection between any of them. Firefighters are still battling to contain the Eaton Fire that broke out near Pasadena, destroying at least 7,000 homes and other structures and laying waste to entire neighbourhoods. Attorneys representing a homeowner who lost their home said that it is their belief that Edison's equipment caused it. Video taken during the fire's earl

Here's what to know about pink flame retardants being used to slow LA fires

Aircraft battling fires raging through the Los Angeles area are dropping more than water -- hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppressant ahead of the flames in a desperate effort to stop them before they destroy more neighbourhoods. The fires have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands and destroyed more than 12,000 structures since they began last Tuesday. Four fires driven by strong Santa Ana winds have charred about 160 square kilometres, according to Cal Fire. Fire agencies say the suppressants -- most often used to fight forest fires -- are an invaluable tool. But what is in them and are they safe? Why they are being used in Los Angeles The fires are burning quickly through canyons and other rugged areas that are difficult for firefighters on the ground to reach, Cal Fire said. While fire suppressants can be very effective, they do have limitations, the agency said, "Strong winds can make it too dangerous to fly at the low altitudes needed for drops a