Region Archives: US West

Hotter temperatures mean wildfire season is underway across many parts of the U.S. And while news crews tend to put away the mics and cameras once the firefighters leave, for residents in communities that have burned, the repercussions continue long after the flames are out. Take the quiet rural community of Blue River, Oregon, population of about 800. Almost four years ago, the Holiday Farm Fire nearly burned the town off the map. The path to rebuilding has been a lengthy and expensive one for residents. …“Between supply chains, county building codes, permits being issued, contractors not being available because of the number of structures that were being built all simultaneously, if you name it, we’ve probably faced it,” Melanie Stanley said, a longtime resident and fire department board member.

IDAHO — The Bench Lake fire that closed the area around Redfish Lake grew to 150 acres by Saturday evening, up from 66 the day before. “We are up at our family cabin at Fisher Creek and watched the fire grow immensely (Saturday)–very scary,” said Blaine County Commissioner Muffy Davis. Firefighters said they encountered active fire behavior with single trees and groups of trees torching. Numerous structures are threatened. The fire is zero percent contained. Local Type 3 Incident commander Chris Belliston, whose team operated from the Stanley Ranger Station, said firefighters were able to slow fire movement “considerably” on Friday thanks to water drops from scoopers. Bench Lake and a rocky outcrop are holding the fire in check on the west side. Firefighters had to contend with increased fire activity from increased winds on Saturday, however.

PORTLAND — Since June, there have been 100 human-caused wildfires on national forests and grasslands in Oregon and Washington, according to a news release from the US Forest Service. While firefighters have been largely successful in putting out these preventable fires, the extremely hot and dry conditions are significantly ramping up fire danger across the region. “We’re entering a very dangerous time period in the Pacific Northwest wildfire season,” said Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest Assistant Fire Director for Operations. “Combined with recent heat, we’re preparing for the potential of dry lightning and gusty winds across much of eastern Oregon.” Local responders are closely tracking these deteriorating conditions where any new wildfire will have the potential to spread rapidly and burn intensely right from the star, the release said. And as firefighters are responding to lightning-sparked fires a preventable, human-caused wildfire can limit availability of needed engines, dozer, helicopters, and other resources.

At nearly 15,000 acres, the Silver King Fire ripping through Fishlake National Forest is one of the biggest actively burning wildfires in the nation. At least two active wildfires in the West are bigger: The Lake Fire (2024) northeast of Los Olivos, California, was burning about 34,015 acres as of Thursday, and the Wilder Fire in Humboldt County, Nevada, had grown to 16,830 acres. Both started within days of the Silver King Fire, but they are at least partially contained — the Lake Fire is 16% contained, and the Wilder Fire is 40% contained. Another wildfire near Ruidoso, New Mexico, has burned more than 17,500 acres since June 17 but is nearly completely contained.

St. George — Scores of firefighters in southern Utah are still struggling to rein in two major fires, braving intense heat, high winds and rugged terrain to bring the blazes under control. About 350 firefighters on the ground and a small fleet of tankers and helicopters in the air continued their battle to extinguish the Silver King Fire, which was sparked by lightning on July 5 and grew from 10,800 acres Monday to 11,290 acres on Tuesday and is zero percent contained. The fire’s spread prompted the Fishlake National Forest officials to close a vast area to the public. The closure, which will remain in effect through Aug. 30 unless rescinded, extends from Interstate 70 and Castle Rock Campground south to Tenmile Creek, and from Mount Baldy and the Fish Creek drainage area east to just short of Marysvale.

KANE COUNTY, Utah — The Deer Springs Fire has grown to 11,888 acres and 10% containment. The fire was first discovered around 1 p.m. Sunday on BLM land in Kane County, south of Bryce Canyon, near Skutumpah and Timber Creek roads in the Deer Springs area. Officials with Utah Fire Info said the fire appeared to be human caused, but that it is still under investigation. 154 fire personnel are working to mitigate the flames. On Tuesday, fire crews worked to secure the fire line on both flanks of the fire. Crews are continuing fire line construction to the south and containing any smaller fires that migrated off the rim. …Winds out of the north-northwest are reportedly favorable to suppression tactics, although Red Flag Warnings remain in effect through Wednesday evening.

Multiple wildfires are burning around Oregon, and evacuation warnings are in place. Here’s the latest on the fires burning statewide. A fast-moving wildfire has brought evacuations near Dufur after burning 3,500 acres of grass and timber in Central Oregon. The Larch Creek Fire is 5 miles southwest of Dufur, closest to Friend, burning west of Highway 97. The fire has brought level 3 “go now” evacuations in the Tygh Valley area west of White River Falls State Park. …“The fire is currently burning with moderate-to-high spread,” ODF said late Tuesday night. No structures have burned yet, officials said. …The Salt Creek Fire in Southern Oregon has grown to 3,300 acres. On Monday night, fire crews used cooler evening temperatures to build and improve the line, increasing the fires containment to 2%, according to a news release.

CALIFORNIA — A wildfire burning in the Los Padres national Forest in Santa Barbara County jumped to more than 12,000 acres burned less than 24 hours after it started. The Lake Fire is burning near Zaca Lake, north of the Santa Ynez Valley. The fire was first discovered at around 3:45 Friday afternoon. It prompted the evacuation of the Zaca Lake Resort. Because of the rugged terrain in the area, much of the firefight is taking place from the air, with air tankers and helicopters. There are some scattered ranch homes in the area, but no structures have been reported lost. There are no communities in the immediate area of the fire.

After two mild wildfire seasons, California is bracing for whatever 2024 brings. Favorable weather marked 2023 and 2022, when the total acreage burned — less than 400,000 acres each year — was considerably lower than the state’s 5-year average of more than 2.3 million acres. But 2024 has already started in a worrisome way, particularly in areas where two heavy rainy seasons fueled thick grasses and brush. The Post Fire in the Gorman area of Los Angeles County burned almost 16,000 acres in its first three days and remained active for 11 days in June. The fire raged in steep, hard-to-reach areas, and Cal Fire noted that “fire weather conditions” — gusty winds and warm temperatures — were making it even more difficult to control. Now the Thompson Fire in Oroville is commanding attention, with mandatory evacuation orders issued to about 13,000 residents during an extreme heatwave.

More than 19,000 acres have been razed by a fire that sparked in California’s Santa Barbara last Friday afternoon, with several wineries forced to evacuate. The blaze began just before 4pm on Friday 5 July near Zaca Lake and quickly spread through dry grass, brush and timber, said officials in the Californian region of Santa Barbara. Since then, the fire has torn through more than 19,000 acres and the skies are still glowing red from the flames. Hundreds of firefighters and 10 helicopters were dispatched over the weekend to fight the fire, but as of late Sunday night only 8% of the fire was contained, with the inferno continuing to move south. “Our goal is to keep [the fire] away from … structures,” Kenichi Haskett, the public information officer assigned to the firefighting operation, told the LA Times. “It’s going to continue to grow.” …Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch is also said to be in the path of the blaze.

OROVILLE, California — Officials in a Northern California community cancelled an annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration as an estimated 26,000 residents remained displaced by a growing wildfire, while hundreds of firefighters toiled under extreme heat to keep flames from reaching more homes. The Thompson Fire broke out before noon Tuesday about 70 miles north of Sacramento, near the city of Oroville in Butte County. It sent up a huge plume of smoke that could be seen from space as it grew to more than 5.5 square miles. …By Wednesday evening, containment stood at 7%. …In Oroville, a state of emergency was declared Tuesday night and evacuation centers were set up. …authorities warned that July 4th fireworks are banned in many places, including most of Butte County. Authorities also cited the ongoing evacuations and damage caused by the Thompson Fire for the cancellation of Oroville’s fireworks show, which had been specially permitted.

Additional coverage by the Governor of California: How California is keeping communities safe from wildfire 

PORTLAND, Oregon — Temperatures spiking into the 100s? Check. Rapidly drying grasslands and forests? Check. Possible humidity of less than 20 percent? Check. Ticking all these boxes means fire managers across the Pacific Northwest are anticipating a significant shift in wildfire conditions over the July 4th weekend. “We’re preparing for a dramatic increase in wildfire conditions through the weekend,” said Ian Rickert, Pacific Northwest Fire Planner for the Forest Service. “Predicted extreme temperatures and low humidity will result in critically dry forests and rangelands on both sides of the Cascades.” Together with other federal, tribal, state, and local governments, the Forest Service has 30 aviation resources as well as a dozen Hotshot and other ground crews positioned throughout Oregon and Washington to quickly respond to any new wildfire starts. …Fire managers anticipate Red Flag Warnings for extremely hot and dry conditions spanning Saturday and Sunday for Southern Oregon.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Air tankers and helicopters helped douse flames from the sky as nearly 200 firefighters on the ground battled a wildfire northeast of Phoenix on Friday that threatened scores of homes and forced dozens of residents to evacuate. Authorities expanded the evacuation area in a subdivision on the northeast outskirts of Scottsdale, closed roads and shut down part of a nature preserve as gusty winds continued to fan the flames in extremely hot, dry conditions. But there were no immediate reports of any injuries or structure damage, Arizona fire officials said. Near Phoenix, where the high reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) on Friday, about 60 residents evacuated homes in the Boulder Heights subdivision overnight after the human-caused fire broke out Thursday. Fire officials said they were investigating exactly what sparked the blaze about 5 miles (8 kilometers) east of Carefree, just outside northern Scottsdale on the edge of the Tonto National Forest.

California firefighters battling a blaze that has ripped through more than 13,000 acres of the Sierra National Forest just north of the Giant Sequoia National Monument and close to several hydroelectric facilities finally began to gain control Monday afternoon. Crews had the Basin fire 17% contained after days of being unable to get a handle on the fire. The wildfire was one of several burning throughout the state as officials braced for the longest heat wave so far this year, set to kick off Tuesday, two days before the Fourth of July. Forecasters predict broiling weather and increased wildfire risks. …The heat wave is expected to bring dangerous temperatures through the Fourth of July holiday and into early next week in many areas, particularly across Northern California, the Central Valley and southwestern deserts. Most of Fresno County is under an excessive heat warning with little overnight relief from the high temperatures.

ALASKA – After a day of hard work by aircraft and firefighters, the Riley Fire in Denali National Park and Preserve was 5% contained by Monday night. Water scoopers and helicopters doused the fire with water most of the day while 22 smokejumpers and the Tanana Chiefs Fire Crew installed hose and cut a saw line, tying it into the railroad easement to contain a section. Work will continue on Tuesday. With the arrival of two California hotshot crews and the Chester Helitack crew, they’ll form a plan to corral the northern tip of the fire burning parallel to the railroad. They aim to keep it within the ridge on the east and the railroad on the west while increasing containment. The fire is burning in steep terrain about a mile north of the park entrance.