Category Archives: Forest Fires

Forest Fires

B.C. ends its wildfire-related state of emergency

CBC News
September 13, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C.’s wildfire season is one step closer to ending with the province’s announcement it is lifting the provincial state of emergency Tuesday evening. The state of emergency, which was put in place on July 20, came into effect to co-ordinate the response to one of the worst wildfire seasons on record. Overall this year, 1,585 fires burned 8,686 square kilometres in the province. Only the 2018 and 2017 wildfire seasons were worse, with nearly 13,550 square kilometres and 12,160 square kilometres burned, respectively. The state of emergency came after the entire town of Lytton and much of the surrounding countryside burned to the ground on June 30, and after thousands of people were forced out of their homes or told to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice due to massive fires. Local leaders urged the province to declare a provincial state of emergency. 

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White Rock Lake fire now only Wildfire of Note in BC

By Jake Courtepatte
Merritt Herald
September 13, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The fire that was first discovered in the White Rock Lake area on July 13 is now the only fie remaining on the BC Wildfire Service ‘Wildfires of Note’ page. Cooler weather and some precipitation recently has seen dozens of BC wildfires taken down off of the Wildfires of Note list, which are fires that are highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety. With the east side of the fire located approximately ten-kilometres west of Vernon, the White Rock Lake fire continues to burn at 83,342 hectares, though there are no Evacuation Alerts or Orders remaining in the area. …However, the entirety of the fire is yet to be listed as Under Control, as the fire burning above the Banks Creek Drainage has not yet burnt its way down to the pre-established control line.

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Smoking stumps and roots will burn into winter at White Rock Lake fire

By Jon Manchester
Castanet Vernon
September 9, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The evacuation order issued for the seasonal properties on Bouleau Lake and Pinaus Lake due to the White Rock Lake wildfire has been rescinded by the Regional District of North Okanagan… Despite being under control, the White Rock Lake wildfire continues to burn deep underground as a result of severe drought conditions throughout much of the fire perimeter. “Given the extent and intensity of this wildfire, residual hot spots and smoke well within the fire’s perimeter will continue to be highly visible over the coming weeks,” the BC Wildfire Service said in a Thursday morning update. “All perimeters of the fire continue to be actively monitored or patrolled .”

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Excluding Lytton, more than 160 structures lost to fires in Thompson-Nicola Regional District

By Barbara Roden
The Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal
September 8, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District says that as of Aug. 27 there have been 161 structure losses within the TNRD due to five wildfires in the region, and that there will probably be more discoveries as further assessments are made. Public information officer Michelle Nordstrom, says that the losses to date do not include any losses on First Nations land or within municipalities like the Village of Lytton. The exact extent of the losses in Lytton from the fire that started there on June 30 have not yet been determined. The Tremont Creek, White Rock Lake, July Mountain, Lytton Creek, and Sparks Lake fires burned a combined total of 338,313 hectares, or 3,383 square kilometres. All five fires are still listed as “Wildfires of Note” by the BC Wildfire Service on their website, but the first three are now classed as Being Held, while Lytton Creek and Sparks Lake are classed as Under Control.

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Evacuation order rescinded for North Okanagan electoral area B sites

Vernon Morning Star
September 9, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

An evacuation order issued for the seasonal properties on Bouleau Lake and Pinaus Lake due to the White Rock Lake wildfire has been rescinded. Property owners/ licence holders can travel to their properties now to begin assessing damage. All Regional District of North Okanagan electoral area properties that were affected by the White Rock Lake wildfire are now deemed “All Clear.” The Bouleau Lake Forest Service Road has been deactivated around the KM 11 mark by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations due to significant wildfire damage. However, the BC Wildfire Service has confirmed that other forest service roads (FSR) in the area have been assessed and are passable. FSRs that are deemed unsafe have been deactivated or closed. Please make sure that your vehicle is capable of driving on forest service roads and exercise caution.

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BC’s out-of-control wildfires burn down to 16

By Lyle Adriano
Insurance Business Magazine
September 8, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfires classified as out-of-control in BC dwindled over the weekend, though there are still over 200 total fires burning across the province. In a release, BC minister of forests Katrine Conroy noted that this year’s wildfire season has been “one of the most active and destructive on record,” adding that dry conditions and aggressive fire behaviour presented “numerous challenges” this summer. CTV News reported that as of Monday, 210 wildfires remain active in BC; 16 of those fires were considered out-of-control. Meanwhile, 11 fires were classified as wildfires of note. “About 300 personnel from the Canadian Armed Forces’ Land Task Force and 55 personnel from the Air Task Force were assigned to help with wildfires in BC, with about 625 individuals cycling through as part of that ongoing effort,” said Conroy. She noted that those crews “played a significant role” in helping respond to the out-of-control fires…

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Alberta saw average wildfire season in 2021, despite record temperatures

CBC News
September 8, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

While B.C and Saskatchewan dealt with raging wildfires this year, Alberta had a relatively average year. Despite heat waves that gripped much of the province throughout summer, a combination of luck and good fire management helped Alberta have an average number of wildfires that did not cause as much severe damage and destruction as in neighbouring provinces. Mike Flannigan, a fire-science research chair at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., attributes Alberta’s difference to a lack of fires in May. “May is our busiest month in Alberta … but May was actually near normal and actually wetter than normal in much of Alberta, so in May the weather was quiet,” Flannigan told CBC. This year Alberta has had 1,142 wildfires. The provincial five-year average is 1,018. There have been 592 wildfires this year in Saskatchewan, more than double their five-year average of 284. B.C. has seen 360 more fires than the provincial average of 1,127.

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Garrison Lake fire again visible from Highway 3 near Princeton

By Andrea Demeer
Vernon Morning Star
September 7, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

While the Garrison Lake wildfire, burning southwest of Princeton, is now classified as ‘held,’ recent weather changes have sparked new activity. “Warm, dry weather is causing an increase of fire behavior for the wildfire, including occasional trees flaring up. There is no immediate risk and crews on the ground are actively extinguishing hot spots on the west side of Highway 3,” states a BC Wildfire release Tuesday, Sept. 7. Flames are again visible from the highway. Active wildfire suppression continues. Hot spots in Manning Park continue to produce smoke that is highly visible from Highway 3 and surrounding areas. The fire is measured at 14,564 hectares.

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Bill Nye firefighting made easier through previous mitigation efforts

By Corey Bullock
Cranbrook Daily Townsman
September 7, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Bill Nye Mountain fire near Wasa continues to be listed on the BC Wildfire Dashboard as being held at 2,990 hectares. Cooler, wetter weather provided relief for fire crews in mid-August, and the fire is not expected to grow any further. That said, the fire may have had further reach if not for previous mitigation efforts. Randy Harris is a registered professional forester who is now retired after 38 years with the BC Forest Service. During the last eight years of his career, he was the ecosystem restoration leader for the Rocky Mountain District in Cranbrook. Harris explained that the final control of Bill Nye was made easier by the fact that the wildfire mitigation team tied the south boundary of the fire to an existing ecosystem restoration (ER) unit near Lakit Lake, on July 22nd.

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Regional District of Central Okanagan ends state of local emergency for White Rock Lake fire

By Jon Manchester
Castanet
September 7, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Regional District of Central Okanagan has ended one of the longest states of local emergency in its history. The remaining evacuation alerts for the White Rock Lake wildfire have been rescinded and RDCO has cancelled the state of local emergency first issued July 30, 2021. The only similar order that lasted longer was in effect during the flood response and recovery in 2017. The final evacuation alerts ended for 1,316 properties on Bouleau Lake Road and in Estamont, Ewings Landing, Killiney Beach and Westshore Estates. …RDCO has also rescinded a Water Qualify Advisory for Upper Fintry, Shalal Road, Valley of the Sun water system, but an advisory remains in place for customers of the Westshore Estates water system. A do-not-consume notice is still in place for approximately 295 customers connected to the Killiney Beach water system. A self-serve water filling station has been set up at the corner of Westside and Firwood Roads

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Evacuated Valley of the Sun residents to begin return in fire’s wake

Castanet.net
September 2, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

As some residents prepare to return home and some evacuation alerts are cancelled, officials are reporting no further growth at the White Rock Lake fire. The Aug. 30 ignitions in Irish Creek, and precipitation across the fire, has reduced risk of further spread on most of the fire perimeter. The planned ignition on the White Rock Lake wildfire was 975 hectares in size. The burn plan objectives were to mimic natural wildfire with up to 30 per cent tree mortality and understory woody debris consumption. The Irish Creek area has more than 40 years of debris buildup. Areas that had significant fuel build up, combined with steep slopes, burned with more intensity.

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UPDATE: White Rock Lake fire ‘held’ after 52 days

Vernon Morning Star
September 2, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The 83,342-hectare White Rock Lake wildfire is now classified as being held, according to the BC Wildfire Services. “Over the last 52 days, firefighters and support personnel from around the world have maintained response efforts on the White Rock Lake wildfire,” the provincial agency said Sept. 2. But “considerable work” remains before it’s completely suppressed. BC Wildfire Services will continue to work on fire suppression until there is no risk to public health and infrastructure. Already, alerts and orders have begun to be downgraded or cleared. And as disaster response moves into the recovery phase, local authorities have set up supports for evacuees returning home.

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Wildfire near Penticton, B.C. balloons to 200 hectares, marches towards luxury development

By Shelby Thom
Global News
August 30, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Skaha Creek wildfire, burning southwest of Penticton, B.C., crested the ridge and crept down the mountainside on Sunday night, threatening a luxury hillside residential development. The wildfire, first discovered on Aug. 28, was described by locals as looking like a volcano had erupted as bright orange flames illuminated the night sky. …The blaze is now highly visible from the entire City of Penticton, Highway 97 and surrounding communities. It is 212 hectares in size and is believed to be human-caused. …The Skaha Creek wildfire is being managed as part of the Okanagan complex, lead by an incident management team. …The City of Penticton issued a statement on Sunday warning that firefighting response efforts may impact operations at the nearby Penticton airport. …A special air quality statement has been issued for the Okanagan Valley due to wildfire smoke.

Additional coverage by the Canadian Press in CBC News: Wildfire grows near Penticton as more military crews join firefighters

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Fire will rain down today on massive White Rock Lake blaze

By Ron Seymour
The Kelowna Daily Courier
August 30, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Gelled and ignited gasoline will be dumped from a helicopter today to spark a 3,000 ha. controlled blaze around the edge of the massive White Rock Lake fire. The operation is aimed at burning off trees and shrubs in hard-to-access terrain that would otherwise be consumed by the fire, which has destroyed 81,000 ha of forest between Vernon and Kamloops. Unless the controlled burns are undertaken, there’s a chance the fire could burn for months and even spark up again in the spring, particularly given the extremely dry conditions, the BC Wildfire Service says. “Planned ignitions are the safest way to remove fuel that can burn well into the fall and winter. In 2018, fires that occurred in severe drought areas burned underground over winter and started burning again in the spring,” the BCWS says. …No substantial growth in the size of the fire has been observed the last few days, the BCWS says. 

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Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry provided insight on status of large forest fires of note

By Jay D Haughton
Kenora Online
September 9, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

The Northwest Region of Ontario has undergone a horrific fire season, very hot and dry summer conditions with little rain created the presence of many large forest fires. Recent cooler temperatures and much-needed rain to the region have cooled down fire-rich areas, that previously were out of control blazes. …“Things are moving in the right direction, and there’s confidence that with both the amount of suppression work that’s been performed on these fires and with the forecasted conditions that these fires really aren’t going anywhere,” said Chris Marchand Fire Information Officer. …Currently, there are 57 active fires in the northwest region. 2 fires are not under control, 1 fire is being held, 11 fires are under control and 43 fires are being monitored. …In total, Ontario has seen 1177 fires burning over 700,000 hectares.

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No change in number of forest fires burning in northwestern Ontario over past few days

CBC News
September 6, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

The number of forest fires burning in northwestern Ontario has held steady over the last few days. Seventy-two fires were burning in the region as of Monday morning. The total number of active fires in the region has not changed since Friday, Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services said. Of the 72 fires burning in the region as of Monday, 56 were being monitored, AFFES said. Six were not under control, 12 were under control, and two fires were being held with existing resources, and not expected to grow due to ongoing suppression efforts. The Sioux Lookout district had the most active fires out of all of northwestern Ontario’s fire districts with 31. There were 24 fires in the Red Lake district, seven in the Nipigon district, five in the Fort Frances district, four in the Dryden district, and one in the Kenora district.

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Weekend rain helped Northwestern Ontario firefighters

Thunder Bay News Watch
August 30, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

DRYDEN, Ont. — Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Agency says significant rainfall has helped firefighters dealing with the 79 wildfires still burning in the Northwest Region. The fire hazard is now low throughout the region. AFFES said Sunday evening that only six fires are not under control, and 58 are being observed. Areas in the southern part of the region received the most rain, with some getting up to 50 millimetres. Fires in Quetico Provincial Park, where a ban on backcountry camping and canoeing remains in place, got 14 millimetres to add to the 5 to 15 millimetres they received Saturday. A Restricted Fire Zone remains in place in the Fort Frances district and southern portions of the Dryden and Kenora districts.

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Rickford comments on forest fires, three new fires discovered over weekend

By Jay D Haughton
Kenora Online
August 30, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

Three new fires were discovered over the weekend from Friday, August 27, 2021, until Sunday, August 29, 2021, according to the daily updates from the Aviation, Forest Fire, and Emergency Services. The newly discovered fires were: Nipigon 81 is located near Peninsular Lake; Dryden 130 is located near Claw Lake; and Fort Frances 154 is located near Jackfish Lake. “There’s still too many of them out of control, but our firefighters, our front lines folks keep working on them, and our prospects keep improving on a daily basis, as I watch the numbers very closely,” said Greg Rickford Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources, and Forestry. “We’re still not out of this, we anticipate a little bit more rain in the region for the next couple of days, I’m not a weatherman. Hopefully in the coming weeks we can see these fires down to a minimal size and number,” added Rickford

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US to bolster firefighter ranks as wildfires burn year-round

By Keith Riddler
The Associated Press in the Seattle Times
September 4, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States

BOISE, Idaho — U.S. wildfire managers have started shifting from seasonal to full-time firefighting crews to deal with what has become a year-round wildfire season as climate change has made the American West warmer and drier. The crews also could remove brush and other hazardous fuels when not battling blazes.  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said Thursday that it’s adding 76 firefighters and support personnel to its 3,400-person firefighting workforce.  Additionally, 428 firefighters will change from part-time seasonal work to either full-time seasonal or permanent work with health and retirement benefits. Ultimately, the agency wants about 80% of its firefighters on permanently. The rest would be seasonal, many of whom are college students who return to class in the fall.

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Old Station residents allowed to return home as threat from Dixie Fire subsides

By David Benda
Redding Record Searchlight
September 14, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

As crews continue to work to contain the massive Dixie Fire  and its rate of spread slows, residents of Old Station are being allowed to return home. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday morning that the evacuation order for the mountain community has been reduced to a warning. The evacuation shelter in Burney will close at noon Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said. …The Dixie Fire exploded last week and made a run at Old Station, but firefighters were able to save the community. The blaze burned dangerously close to Old Station on Thursday, but officials have said that other fuel breaks closer to homes, contingency lines and retardant-dropping air tankers helped prevent the eastern Shasta County from burning. The wildfire is the second largest in state history and had burned 960,470 acres as of Tuesday morning. The fire was 75% contained.

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KNP Complex Fire: More evacuations issued in Tulare County as fire in Sequoia National Park grows

By Jessica Harrington
ABC News 30
September 14, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

TULARE COUNTY, Calif.  — The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office has issued more evacuation orders as the KNP Complex Fire continues to grow within the Sequoia National Park. Sheriff’s officials say residents living in the community of Sycamore must leave now as the wildfire poses an immediate threat to life and properties. …Fire officials said the Paradise Fire crossed across the Generals Highway and is inaccessible from the ground. Crews have been making water drops from the air to try to slow the spread. Meanwhile, firefighters on the ground were suppressing the Colony Fire, but dead trees are a significant safety concern, officials said. The Cabin Fire has been suppressed. 

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Cougar Peak fire quadruples in size to over 80,000 acres

By Jaimie Ding
The Oregonian
September 10, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

A wildfire spreading rapidly in the Fremont-Winema National Forest has more than quadrupled its size in two days.  The Cougar Peak fire was discovered Tuesday afternoon about 15 miles northwest of Lakeview, a rural southern Oregon town and the Lake County seat. The blaze grew to about 20,000 acres by Wednesday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Lakeview Ranger District.  Then, by Friday morning, it had grown to 83,339 acres.  The fire is completely uncontained, and its cause is under investigation.  Swaths of the county — from the national forest in the west to U.S. 395 in the east — remain under Level 3 “go now” evacuation orders. 

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Sequoia National Park wildfires burn at 0% containment, with more closures Sunday

By Thaddeus Miller
The Modesto Bee
September 12, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Multiple wildfires started by a recent lightning storm continued to grow in steep, difficult to reach areas of Sequoia National Park, the National Park Service said Sunday. The Paradise and Colony fires, which combined are being called the KNP Complex, have scorched more than 1,000 acres and fire crews have 0% containment on either blaze, according to the Park Service. Lightning struck several spots in the park on Thursday, officials said, starting multiple fires with the two largest of particular concern. …Voluntary evacuation warnings were issued for the Silver City and Cabin Cove area, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office announced. …“The KNP Complex Fire is still inside the National Park, but is spreading quickly,” the sheriff’s announcement stated. “There is a possibility that it will spread into these communities.” …Air crews have been able to drop water and retardant on both blazes. …Sequoia National Park could be closed in the coming days.

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California wildfires at risk of sparking as wind blows in

The Associated Press in the Washington Post
September 10, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California — A weather system affecting northwest California was expected to bring dry lightning and blustery winds through early Friday, unleashing a risk of new wildfires as thousands of firefighters have been making headway against existing blazes. A warning for dangerous fire weather took effect in much of fire-scarred Northern California Thursday afternoon and was expected to last through at least 11 a.m. Friday. “The combination of isolated dry lightning and gusty winds with the dry fuels will bring the potential for critical fire weather conditions,” the National Weather Service said. …The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday that firefighters were making significant progress against the flames in part because weather had improved. More than 14,600 firefighters were on the lines of 13 active, large wildfires in California on Thursday.

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Northern California fires: Siskiyou County Sheriff orders evacuations north of Little Glass Mountain

By David Benda, Mike Chapman and Jessica Skropanic
Redding Record Searchlight
September 8, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Wildfires burning throughout Northern California prompted new evacuations on Wednesday, including in communities in Siskiyou, Shasta and Trinity counties. This year, California fires burned more than 2 million acres, destroying more than 3,000 thousand structures in their paths. Their swift speeds and dry conditions prompted closures of almost every national forest, state wilderness areas and parks throughout the state. Most of the fires are concentrated in the northern part of the state, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That includes the three of the largest blazes in the state’s history:

  • The mammoth Dixie Fire, which at 922,507 acres is the second largest fire after last year’s August Complex.
  • The Caldor Fire, which threatened South Lake Tahoe last week, remains the 15th largest.
  • The Monument Fire burning in Trinity County is the 18th largest.

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Cougar Peak fire in Lake County grows to 20,000 acres in two days, prompts evacuations

By Savannah Eadens
The Oregonian
September 9, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

A new wildfire was burning and growing rapidly on the Fremont-Winema National Forest on Wednesday, about 15 miles northwest of Lakeview, a rural Oregon town and Lake County seat. The Cougar Peak fire was discovered about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday and had grown to approximately 20,000 acres by Wednesday night, according to the Lakeview Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service. The cause is under investigation. Officials say that the current fire behavior and record low dry fuels are making the Cougar Peak fire extremely resistant to control tactics and processes. The blaze was growing rapidly enough that Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act, putting the State Fire Marshal in charge of battling the fire. The fire is growing in mixed conifer and brush and is threatening lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.

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Official: Wildfire near Lake Tahoe largely kept from towns

Associated Press in St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 7, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The huge wildfire near the Lake Tahoe resort region was about half contained Tuesday, with the head of California’s firefighting agency saying crews largely have been able to keep flames away from populated areas. “We’ve been able to herd these fires around and outside of the main community corridors,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Chief Thom Porter said. That includes the city of South Lake Tahoe and nearby Meyers that were threatened by the Caldor Fire as it churned east, and the communities of Pollock Pines and nearby Sly Park near where the fire ignited 3 1/2 weeks ago. …Nearly 1,000 structures have been destroyed in the fire near Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border, including 776 homes. Many were in the community of Grizzly Flats near where the fire started and was able to burn before officials could divert significant resources from other blazes scorching California.

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Wildfire destroys historic Bull of the Woods fire lookout

By Jamie Hale
The Oregonian
September 7, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

An old fire lookout tower that for 79 years stood atop a ridge overlooking the Mt. Hood National Forest is now gone.  On Sunday, the historic Bull of the Woods Lookout was consumed by the Bull Complex fire that has currently burned more than 17,000 acres in the Mt. Hood National Forest east of Salem, fire officials said.  Unlike some other fire lookouts in Oregon that operate as vacation rentals run by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bull of the Woods Lookout was long since shuttered, acting primarily as a landmark for hikers who made their way up Dickey Ridge for spectacular Cascade Mountain views.  From the lookout, hikers could see views of Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters. It was located within the Bull of the Woods Wilderness and could be accessed by a 3.2-mile hike from the Bull of the Woods Trailhead.

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Dixie Fire burns more than 919K acres, 59% containment

KCRA Sacramento
September 7, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

California’s second-largest wildfire in history has burned at least 919,300 acres, or 1,436 square miles, across Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama counties, and containment stands at 59%, Cal Fire said Tuesday evening.  Meanwhile, the lead agency managing the Dixie fire told KCRA 3 that a U.S. Forest Service firefighter assigned to the Dixie fire died from an illness. The firefighter, identified as Marcus Pacheco, was not actively fighting flames when he died. The death was first reported in Sunday’s fire update from Cal Fire.  Three other first responders have been injured in the blaze.  The blaze has charred an area nearly three times the size of Los Angeles and destroyed at least 1,282 structures, including 688 homes. It is the 14th-most destructive wildfire in state history, according to Cal Fire. …Roughly 5,958 structures remain threatened by the Dixie Fire, Cal Fire officials said. More than 4,600 personnel are helping battle the fire.

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Firefighter assigned to the Dixie Fire dies as North State blazes top 1.4 million acres

By Mike Chapman, Damon Arthur & Michele Chandler
Redding Record Searchlight
September 5, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

A firefighter working on the Dixie Fire has died, as the number of acres burned across the North State topped 1.4 million.  No deaths were reported specifically because of California’s current tide of wildfires. However, authorities said two people assigned to fire-related duties died from illness this week.  Marcus Pacheco, an assistant fire engine operator for Lassen National Forest with 30 years of experience, died on Thursday. He was assigned to the Dixie Fire burning north of the Caldor Fire, authorities said on Monday.  …The Dixie Fire has burned nearly 1,400 square miles in five counties and three national parks and forests, according to Cal Fire.  Meanwhile, containment inched higher on the ferocious Dixie Fire as U.S. Army soldiers arrived from Washington state to help firefighters battle the five-county blaze.

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Lake Tahoe wildfire: Crews stall advance of Caldor blaze as evacuation orders are lifted

Associated Press in Fox News
September 6, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Tens of thousands of people who fled South Lake Tahoe in the teeth of a wildfire were returning home as crews finally managed to stall the advance of flames scant miles from the resort.  But authorities warned that residents of the scenic forest area on the California-Nevada state line weren’t out of the woods yet, with risks ranging from smoky, foul air to belligerent bears.   Evacuation orders for South Lake Tahoe and other lakeside areas were downgraded to warnings on Sunday afternoon and California Highway Patrol officers began removing roadblocks along State Highway 50 from Nevada to the city limits.   The threat from the Caldor Fire hasn’t entirely vanished but downgrading to a warning meant those who wish could return to their homes.

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Official reports progress in defending Lake Tahoe from fire

By Sam Metz, Janie Har and John Antczak
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 1, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Favorable weather helped firefighters trying to save communities on the south end of Lake Tahoe from an approaching wildfire, but officials warned Wednesday that stiff winds and dry conditions mean that homes in the California-Nevada alpine region are still in danger… Jim Dudley, a meteorologist assigned to the fire, said …winds were expected to calm significantly over the next several days, but risks remain with extremely low humidity levels. The Caldor Fire remained roughly 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the recently evacuated city of South Lake Tahoe, moving northeast toward the California-Nevada state line, said Henry Herrera, a battalion chief for … Cal Fire. Crews tried desperately to keep flames away from urban communities, where houses are close together and shopping centers, hotels and other structures would provide even more fuel…

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Lake Tahoe wildfire seemed controllable, then it wasn’t

By Don Thompson
Associated Press in The Herald and News
September 1, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

SACRAMENTO, Calif.  — Just last week, managers overseeing the fight against the massive wildfire scorching California’s Lake Tahoe region thought they could have it contained by the start of this week. Instead, the Caldor Fire crested the Sierra Nevada on Monday, forcing the unprecedented evacuation of South Lake Tahoe and tourists from the alpine lake straddling the California-Nevada state line. That drastic move might never have been needed if authorities could have thrown more firefighters at the blaze when it was small. That didn’t happen because the Dixie Fire was simultaneously raging across the mountain range 100 miles to the north, on the way to becoming the second-largest wildfire in California history. …By the time Caldor approached Lake Tahoe two weeks later, there were 4,000 fire personnel, dozens of water-dropping aircraft and hundreds of fire engines and bulldozers. But all that manpower and equipment were overmatched by tinder dry conditions…

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Wildfire evacuees flood Lake Tahoe roads in rush to flee

By Sam Metz and Janie Har
Associated Press in Helena Independent Record
August 31, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A popular vacation haven normally filled with tens of thousands of summer tourists was clogged with fleeing vehicles Monday after the entire resort city of South Lake Tahoe was ordered to leave as a ferocious wildfire raced toward Lake Tahoe, a sparkling gem on the California-Nevada state line. Vehicles loaded with bikes and camping gear and hauling boats were in gridlock traffic in the city of 22,000, stalled in hazy, brown air that smelled like a campfire. Police and other emergency vehicles whizzed by. …By Monday night the fire had crossed state highways 50 and 89 and burned mountain cabins as it churned down slopes toward the Tahoe Basin. Flames came within just a few miles of South Lake Tahoe and residents of communities just over the state line in Douglas County, Nevada were warned to get ready to evacuate.

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Middle Fork Complex wildfire evacuation notices canceled in Oakridge and Westfir

By Louis Krauss
The Register-Guard
August 31, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

The Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation notices for Oakridge and Westfir due to wildfire danger have been canceled by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.  Both Oakridge and Westfir were under evacuation warnings due to the Middle Fork Complex fires and primarily the Kwis Fire, which has been burning several miles east of Oakridge along Salmon Creek Road.   The sheriff’s office said it was canceling the evacuation notices due to significant progress on the Middle Fork Complex fires by fire crews.   …The Middle Fork Complex began the week of July 26, when lightning started more than a dozen fires in the Willamette National Forest. Since then, the Kwis Fire had reached 90% containment as of Aug. 22, and crews have been shifting resources to the much larger Gales Fire to the north of Oakridge. On Tuesday morning, the entire complex had reached 20,094 acres and is 12% contained, according to a U.S. Forest Service update. 

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Massive fire threatens Lake Tahoe, more ordered to flee

By Noah Berger
Associated Press in ABC News
August 30, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — People were told to flee from a long section of the Lake Tahoe shoreline Monday as a huge forest fire threatened to push into the resort region straddling California and Nevada. The new orders for people to immediately evacuate included part of the tourist city of South Lake Tahoe and about 15 miles up the western shore of the lake. It comes a day after communities several miles south of the lake had abruptly been ordered evacuated as the Caldor Fire raged nearby. South Lake Tahoe’s main medical facility, Barton Memorial Hospital, proactively evacuated 36 patients needing skilled nursing and 16 in acute care beds Sunday… The rest of the hospital was evacuating following Monday’s expanded orders. The region is facing a warning from the National Weather Service about critical fire weather Monday through Tuesday across the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range.

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Crews in southern Spain face ‘complex’ wildfire for 5th day

By Aritz Parra
The Washington Post
September 13, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

MADRID — Firefighting crews near southern Spain’s Costa del Sol were hoping for much-needed rainfall Monday to help them extinguish a major wildfire that has ravaged 7,700 hectares in five days and forced the evacuations of 2,600 people. Authorities are describing the blaze in Sierra Bermeja, a mountain range in Malaga province, as an extreme “mega-fire” brought on by climate change — a catastrophic event that kill, blacken large areas and is difficult to stop. In Spain, that’s paired with rural depopulation, leading to poorer management of forests and the accumulation of burnable material. …The scorched area has doubled since Saturday, when authorities said the flames were contained within a perimeter of 40 kilometers. But embers ignited another hot spot soon after, causing a new wildfire that eventually joined the previous blaze, experts said Sunday. By Monday morning, the wildfire’s perimeter had reached 85 kilometres.

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Six villages evacuated as wildfire in southern Spain keeps growing

By Laura J. Varo
El País
September 13, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

A large wildfire that broke out in southern Spain on Wednesday continued to rage over the weekend, growing in size and forcing more people out of their homes as authorities resorted to the military for help. By early Monday morning the blaze had already devoured more than 7,400 hectares of forest in Sierra Bermeja, a mountain range in western Costa del Sol, in Málaga province. …Strong winds of up to 50km/h fanned the flames on Sunday, doubling the fire’s perimeter to 85 kilometers, up from 42 on Saturday. The uneven terrain is making it particularly hard to quell the fire, and much of the effort now depends on the work of the more than 40 aircraft dropping water over the area during the daytime. Rain is not expected before Tuesday at the earliest, according to the national weather service Aemet.

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Spanish wildfire kills 1 firefighter, forces evacuations

Associated Press in The Public’s Radio
September 9, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Authorities in southern Spain say one firefighter has died and nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated as a worsening wildfire is tearing through forest land. The blaze in a mountain range of the Malaga province broke out late Wednesday and grew, fanned by winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour with shifting directions. Arson is suspected. Some 940 people were evacuated near the resort town of Estepona and three other municipalities, the Andalusia regional authorities said. The region’s fire extinguishing service, Infoca, said late Thursday that a 44-year-old firefighter perished as a result of burns caused by the flames.

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Wildfire in southern Spain spreads, forcing 800 people from their homes

By Laura J. Varo
El País
September 9, 2021
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Nearly 800 people had been evacuated from their homes by Thursday in Spain’s southern Málaga province due to a wildfire affecting the municipalities of Estepona, Benahavís, Jubrique and Genalguacil, said Andalusian emergency services. The fire broke out in the mountains of Sierra Bermeja, within the municipal limits of Jubrique. Preventive evacuations took place in Estepona’s Forest Hill and Las Abejeras residential areas in the early hours of Thursday, and by the afternoon the flames had reached Benahavís, where a residential development called Montemayor was also evacuated. The uneven terrain and changing winds hampered the firefighting effort in an area that is also home to a forest of Spanish fir (pinsapo), a natural space that is considered of particular environmental value in southern Spain along with the nearby Sierra de las Nieves.

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