Region Archives: United States

A person has been killed in one of several wildfires threatening heavily populated areas of the Colorado foothills, authorities said on Wednesday. A body was discovered in a home about 1 mile north of Lyons, Colorado, according to the Boulder county sheriff. He said that detectives were assisting the investigation into the death, but declined to provide further details. There are nearly 100 active wildfires burning in the west, including a massive wildfire in California that has grown swiftly in recent days to become the fifth-largest in state history. In Colorado, a wildfire near the city of Loveland in the Rockies grew to more than 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) on Tuesday evening as more homes were placed under mandatory evacuation orders and a looming column of smoke could be seen for miles around.The fatality is one of several reported in recent weeks as the US wildfire season kicked into high gear.

COLORADO — All evacuations remained in place Tuesday morning as the Alexander Mountain Fire continued burning west of Loveland. Crews were on the scene of the fire overnight Monday with air operations and “additional ground resources” expected to resume Tuesday morning, the Loveland County Sheriff’s Office said Monday. The United States Forest Service is expected to assume command of the fire control efforts Tuesday, according to Inciweb, an incident command website that tracks wildfires across the nation. The fire, which had grown to estimated 950 acres with no containment as of 7:45 p.m. Monday, was first reported in a 911 call received at 10:39 a.m., LCSO spokesperson David Moore said Monday.

Additional coverage in the Colorado Sun by Olivia Prentzel: Northern Colorado residents told to immediately evacuate as fast-moving wildfire burns near Loveland

CALIFORNIA – Thousands of firefighters battling a massive northern California wildfire were working in milder temperatures and higher humidity Monday, but the blaze that has destroyed more than 100 structures since it began five days ago continues to grow. The Park Fire, which officials said was started by a man who pushed a flaming car into a gully, grew slightly overnight to 368,000 acres (148,924 hectares). The sixth largest wildfire in state history is rolling through a remote area some 180 miles northeast of San Francisco, according to Cal Fire. Crews were “still in for quite a firefight, just because (of) the sheer magnitude and the sheer size of the fire,” said Dan Collins, a Cal Fire captain. …Some 4,800 firefighters were building and strengthening control lines on Monday morning hoping to increase the 12% they had contained. 

FOREST RANCH, California — Wildfires across the western United States and Canada put millions of people under air quality alerts on Sunday as thousands of firefighters battled the flames, including the largest wildfire in California this year. The so-called Park Fire had scorched an area greater than the size of Los Angeles as of Sunday, darkening the sky with smoke and haze and contributing to poor air quality in a large swath of the northwestern U.S. and western Canada. …Paradise and several other Butte County communities were under an evacuation warning Sunday.
…By Sunday afternoon, the fire continued to grow west, with flames crossing Highway 32 near Butte Meadows.  …In Southern California, a fire in the Sequoia National Forest swept through the community of Havilah after burning more than 48 square miles in less than three days. The town of roughly 250 people had been under an evacuation order. Fires were also burning across eastern Oregon and eastern Idaho.

Thousands of firefighters battling a wildfire in northern California received some help from the weather Saturday morning, just hours after the blaze exploded in size, sending massive, swirling plumes skyward and scorching an area about the size of Los Angeles. The blaze was one of several tearing through the western United States and Canada, fueled by wind and heat. Cooler temperatures and an increase in humidity on Saturday could help slow the Park fire, the largest blaze so far this year in California, after its intensity and dramatic spread led fire officials to make unwelcome comparisons to the monstrous Camp fire. That fire burned out of control in nearby Paradise in 2018, killing 85 people and torching 11,000 homes. Weather conditions are easing up, but that may or may not have an impact on the fires, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

BAKER COUNTY, Ore. — On Saturday, wildfires continued to burn across the United States, with the majority concentrated in Oregon, and the largest still the Durkee Fire. Officials say it’s near 290,000 acres in size, with a perimeter of 169 miles. However, crews have made progress, and by Sunday it was 50% contained. At the northwest corner of the megafires footprint, local landowners and ranchers are still dealing with the worst of it. Fire officials say this area remains a concern due to heavy winds and drier conditions at high elevation and a shift to a timber fuel type, as compared to the Durkee Fire’s predominant fuels to date: grass, shrubs and juniper. …On day 10 of the megafire, nearly 600 firefighters were working on suppression, confident they’ll soon contain the fire along Interstate 84. …Oregon has reached a total of 1,017,474 acres burned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. 

There are more than 38 large wildfires burning across Oregon. Here’s the latest notes and details about the blazes. Hopes for a decent amount of rain are looking increasingly unlikely in the areas that need it most to quell fires, forecasters said Sunday. …The U.S. Forest Service has approved the use of heavy equipment and fire retardant to fight wildfires burning in Pacific Northwest wilderness and roadless areas. The Congressionally-designated areas typically are supposed to see fire crews take a lighter touch — using minimum suppression tactics or even letting fires burn in some cases. But the number of fires — and long duration left in the fire season — has spurred leaders to approve more aggressive tactics. …Heavy equipment, such as bulldozers, however, can drastically impact sensitive areas and fire retardant can pollute waterways. Forest leaders said they would be careful “where and when to allow the use of heavy equipment and retardant,” the agency said.