Thursday, July 26, 2018

Ca. Governor declares emergency as fires rage throughout state

Fire stoked by hot and windy weather raged through a forest in far northern California on Thursday. In mountain communities east of Los Angeles, calmer conditions aided firefighters on the lines of a suspected arson wildfire that forced thousands of people to flee. California Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday issued emergency proclamations in both Riverside County in the south and Shasta County in the north. The declarations authorize the state to rally resources to local government. In the north, new evacuations were ordered for communities in the wilderness recreation region near Whiskeytown Lake as that wildfire tripled in size to more than 31 square miles (80 square kilometers). It had already forced residents out of French Gulch, a hamlet dating to the Gold Rush. French Gulch resident Raquel Hines said she had two hours to evacuate and that others in the former mining town had as little as 30 minutes to leave. The community has faced two wildfires in the last two weeks, Hines said. "It's terrifying. You know you're frightened a little bit because you don't know if you're going to come back to your house and the town is going to be different," she told KRCR-TV. Cal Fire Unit Chief Mike Hebrard told the Record Searchlight newspaper that the blaze made a huge push overnight and that engine crews were in the community of Old Shasta trying to save structures. Hundreds of miles to the south, winds were absent over the fire in Southern California's San Jacinto Mountains. But temperatures were rapidly rising, and forecasters said highs could hit 100 degrees (38 Celsius). They also warned of possible afternoon wind gusts that could create dangerous fire conditions. Elsewhere in the state, a huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. A total of 100 homes were still considered under threat in the San Francisco Bay community of Clayton, although firefighters had stopped the progress of a small fire there after one house burned...MORE

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"On Wednesday, July 25, 2018, CAL FIRE Law Enforcement Officers arrested Brandon N. McGlover, 32 of Temecula for allegedly setting multiple fires in southwest Riverside County, California on July 25, 2018. One of the fires he allegedly started is the Cranston Fire on the San Bernardino National Forest. Mr. McGlover was booked on five counts of arson, PC 451( c ). Other charges could be added to the list as the investigation unfolds". copied from Wildfire Today website.
This is for those who think these fires are the result of fire suppression or global warming. Think again! In most cases there are multiple fires which combine into very large fires. Guess where the source of multiple fires lies....arson!