Category Archives: Forest Fires

Brian Ballou saw the 2020 fire season coming for a long time. …Labor Day 2020 was that moment. Severe drought, extreme winds and multiple ignitions fueled the most destructive wildfires in state history. Roughly 1.07 million acres burned during the 2020 season, the second-most on record. The cost to fight the fires was a record, $609 million and rising. But even more striking was the number of homes lost. From 2015 to 2019… Oregon lost a combined 93 homes, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. This year, 4,009 homes burned down. …The largest wildfires in state history are actually believed to have taken place in the 1800s. …The era of giant fires started coming to an end with the creation of the Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry, which brought almost a century of aggressive suppression.  But putting out every fire led to a buildup of fuels in the forest that… led to the return of megafires in Oregon…

Thousands of Californians were allowed to return to their homes Wednesday as calmer winds helped firefighters beat back two wind-driven wildfires that had spurred widespread evacuations. Roughly 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate Monday after the wildfires broke out in brushy hills above cities in Southern California’s Orange County amid fierce winds and extremely dry weather conditions. On Wednesday, evacuation orders were lifted for all residents in the city of Irvine about 56 kilometers south of Los Angeles, which saw more than a quarter of its 280,000 people forced from their homes. Evacuation orders also were lifted for the nearby Blue Ridge Fire, where thousands of people … had been under orders to flee. Firefighters made progress as the winds subsided and the spread of the flames slowed. The Irvine-area Silverado Fire was 32% contained by Wednesday evening and the Blue Ridge Fire to the north was 23% surrounded after being virtually uncontained a day earlier.

Already in the midst of the worst wildfire season on record, California faces the most favorable conditions for instigating large wildfires so far this year, beginning Sunday afternoon and lasting into Tuesday. The combination of hurricane-force wind gusts and extremely dry conditions mean that the potential of a fire starting, and spreading rapidly, is unusually high. In the San Francisco Bay and areas from Sacramento northward, high winds of up to 80 mph are expected in higher elevations, with gusts to 50 mph possible even in downtown San Francisco. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has designated much of Northern California’s fire risk as “extremely critical,” the most severe level on its scale. …The National Weather Service forecast office in Sacramento wrote a foreboding technical forecast discussion on its website Sunday morning, making clear that this event has the potential to be historic.

A dire wildfire crisis is unfolding in Colorado after a blaze exploded sixfold in size in just 24 hours, growing to about 125,600 acres on Thursday morning. The East Troublesome Fire, burning in Grand County and extending now into Rocky Mountain National Park, forced hundreds to quickly evacuate from Grand Lake and Granby overnight, with more evacuations taking place Thursday and an unknown number of structures reportedly destroyed. The blaze has all the hallmarks of climate change. It’s burning at an elevation of 9,000 feet at a time of year when snow should be falling. The fire is also raging during a severe drought, aggravated by record heat, through stands of trees killed or weakened by a bark beetle infestation. The East Troublesome Fire is now the fourth-largest wildfire in Colorado history. Three of the state’s five largest wildfires on record have now occurred in 2020. 

Vast areas of national forest from areas west of Denver all the way to the Wyoming border are closed Wednesday as Colorado faces historic wildfires that may get worse due to windy weather.  The U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday that due to the “unprecedented and historic fireconditions,” it was temporarily closing national forest lands in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder and Larimer counties. “The number of large fires and extreme fire behavior we are seeing on our Forests this year is historic,” Forest Supervisor Monte Williams said in a statement. “These temporary closures are necessary to protect the public and our firefighters, and we will keep them in place until conditions improve and we are confident that the risk of new fire starts has decreased.” …Officials said that new fires and the “explosive growth” of existing blazes across northern Colorado — such as the Cameron Peak, CalWood and Lefthand Canyon Fires — led to the decision.

The Creek Fire has grown to 352,339 acres and remained at 61% containment, according to an update Tuesday morning.  The fire grew by more than 2,000 acres from Monday into Tuesday morning. Fire activity in the South Zone remained as hot spots, but they did not pose a significant risk.  In the North Zone, “heavy mop-up” is still occurring around Central Camp, according to the National Forest Service.  Fire crews were expecting high temperatures into the day, which were above average for this time of the year.  The number of fire personnel has decreased from previous weeks to 944. … Containment of the Creek Fire, which started Sept. 4, is still expected by Halloween. The cause of the largest single-incident fire in California history remains under investigation.

BOULDER, Colorado — The Cameron Peak Fire burned at least 30 buildings in its latest period of explosive growth. Since last Wednesday the fire has grown by more than 70,000 acres. Official tallies of homes burned haven’t been completed, but authorities are beginning to gather a rough picture, said Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith. “Since Wednesday we believe between 30 and 50 structures were likely destroyed,” Smith said in a briefing Monday evening. So far, communities scattered around Masonville and Glen Haven have had the greatest losses. …Another round of critical fire weather is expected this week, with a red flag warning already planned for midday Wednesday and into Thursday. More gusty winds and low humidity could increase fire activity.

A fast-moving, rapidly growing wildfire erupted Saturday and expanded to more than 8,788 acres by Sunday morning in northwest Boulder County, Colo., prompting the evacuation of at least 3,000 people and sending hikers and campers fleeing to safety. The fire is just 5 percent contained, and low clouds grounded firefighting aircraft this morning. “There were a number of aircraft on order,” Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Division Chief Mike Wagner said in a news briefing. Wagner said the fire already ranks as the largest blaze in Boulder County history based on its acreage, and damage assessment teams have not yet been able to access the fire to determine how many homes and other structures may have been lost.

The Oregon Department of Forestry is terminating fire season on lands protected by the Northeast Oregon District, according to an agency press release. At of 12:01 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, fire season will end on more than 2 million acres of private, state, county, municipal and tribal lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry.  The Northeast Oregon District includes lands in Union, Baker, Umatilla, Wallowa and small portions of Grant, Morrow and Malheur counties. “The last few days have brought quite a bit of precipitation across the region. While the district is comfortable with removing the general fire season restrictions, it is important to remember that weather patterns could change and conditions could return to dry and windy, said Matt Howard, Wallowa Unit Forester.

CASPER, Wyo. — The Mullen Fire burning in southeastern Wyoming and northeastern Colorado has burned an estimated 176,371 acres based on infrared flight mapping conducted Tuesday evening. Mullen Fire Information added on Wednesday morning that the fire is 34% contained. Southern Area Blue Team Operations Section Chief John Wallace said on Wednesday morning that 75 mph winds are expected to impact firefighting operations on Wednesday. “There is a lot of blowing debris out there, a lot of ash blowing around and so the conditions are just really nasty for us today,” he said. …A “Burned Area Emergency Response” team has been assembled to begin working on post-fire repair and clean up. Wallace said that team includes “folks that specialize in cleaning up and restoring systems after a fire” such as hydrologists, foresters and biologists.

Pacific Gas & Electric began turning off power to more than 50,000 Northern California customers Wednesday evening as dry, windy conditions renewed the threat of fire… The utility announced that it had begun cutting power to up to 33,000 customers, with about another 20,000 to follow in a few hours. The shutoffs will affect portions of nearly two dozen counties, mostly in the Sierras and San Francisco Bay Area, and could last 48 hours.Preemptive electricity cuts are a strategy aimed at preventing fires from being started by power lines that have been damaged or knocked down amid high winds. …The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for extreme fire danger through Friday morning in many areas. Hundreds of firefighters from across the state were being deployed to Northern California because of the weather, with bone-dry humidity and winds possibly hitting 88.5 kph with gusts to 112.7 kph possible in the Bay Area.

Everyone else had already evacuated when Dwayne Canfield saw the truck – an extra vehicle that was about to be left behind at Opal Creek as the Beachie Creek fire in Marion County crept closer. As executive director of the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, the vehicle was his responsibility. He got inside and drove to a nearby trailhead, then hiked three miles back to Jawbone Flats to fetch his own truck.  Smoke had just begun to fill the forest that Friday, Sept. 4, carried by winds that would soon gather into a horrific gale over Labor Day, fanning several Oregon wildfires into sheer devastation. When Canfield returned to Jawbone Flats, a historic mining community that today serves as an education and recreation area, he couldn’t know that fate lay ahead. Hot and sweaty from the hike, he decided to go for a quick swim to cool off.

Firefighters continue to make progress on containing the Holiday Farm Fire, the Oregon Department of Forestry said Tuesday. The fire, which is being managed by about 450 firefighters, remains at 173,094 acres and 78% contained.   Fire managers have been monitoring an area on the northeast corner of the fire that is steep and full of overhead hazards and therefore too dangerous to put firefighters into, ODF said. The fire has been smoldering in this area and poses a low risk to the fire line. Helicopters are being used to keep the fire in check by dropping water in the area as needed throughout the day. Smoke may be seen in this area.

SAN FRANCISCO — The staggering scale of California’s wildfires reached another milestone Monday: A single fire surpassed 1 million acres. The new mark for the August Complex in the Coast Range between San Francisco and the Oregon border came a day after the total area of land burned by California wildfires this year passed 4 million acres, more than double the previous record. The August Complex began as dozens of fires ignited by lightning in the Mendocino National Forest in mid-August and became California’s largest fire on record in September. As of Monday, it covered nearly 1,566 square miles. …Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas. …Mike Flannigan, who directs the Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science at Canada’s University of Alberta, says the escalation of fires in California and the U.S. West is “largely, not solely, due to human-caused climate change.”

One of the most beloved destinations in Oregon looks a lot different following the blowup of the Beachie Creek Fire.  Large swaths of the 34,000-acre Opal Creek Wilderness and Recreation Area burned after historic winds turned a small fire into an inferno Labor Day night.   The fire destroyed the bridge over Henline Creek — the main access point to the area. It also killed many of the trees, including old-growth giants, on Henline Falls and Opal Creek trails and in the surrounding area.   All of the buildings at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center at Jawbone Flats burned except one — cabin 4. The site’s outdoor classroom and water treatment plant also survived.   “It’s horrific,” Ancient Forest Center executive director Dwayne Canfield said after getting pictures of the area from fire crews. “It’s not a total wasteland, and there’s some green. But overall, it’s pretty bad.” 

Reuters photos show the spread of wildfires in California and Oregon, the firefighters and communities who stood up to fight the flames, and the destruction left behind. This Reuters photo gallery shows the tragic story of wildfires along the West Coast, the firefighters and communities who stood up to fight the flames, and the destruction left behind.

Bradcus Schrandt and Joe Catterson

SAN FRANCISCO — Easing winds gave California firefighters a break Tuesday as they battled a destructive wildfire that was driven by strong winds through wine country north of San Francisco and another rural blaze that killed three people. Breezes replaced the powerful gusts that sent the Glass Fire raging through Napa and Sonoma counties Sunday and Monday, scorching more than 66 square miles. At least 95 buildings have burned in wine country, including homes and winery installations. A wildfire burning farther north in rural Shasta County has destroyed another 146 buildings. The fire in wine country pushed through brush that had not burned for a century, even though surrounding areas were incinerated in a series of blazes in recent years. As the winds eased Monday evening, firefighters were feeling “much more confident,” said Ben Nicholls, a division chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

Last week’s rains did their job: Oregon’s forest floors got soaked with the kind of moisture that can’t be stopped by one warm day. The Beachie Creek, Riverside, Archie Creek, and Holiday Farm fires, all of them on the west side of the Cascades, grew very little or not at all over the weekend.  For the next few days, the fires in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains are expected to get smokier while warm weather and dry winds cause ground fuels to smolder. People nearby might see columns of smoke coming off the fire, and even trees igniting. Although the fires will become more active as the week goes on, meteorologists assigned to those fires say that it’ll take a few days of dry, warm conditions before the ground will truly dry.  These fires are large, so there’s no one type of fire behavior to expect.

With Santa Ana winds expected late Sunday night, firefighters continued working to contain the 178-square mile Bobcat Fire as they braced for the drier, warmer conditions expected later. The wildfire has torn through the Angeles National Forest after erupting near Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area on Sept. 6 and quickly spreading into surrounding areas. By Sunday morning, fire officials said the blaze was at 65% containment, slightly inching up from 63% the night before. Evacuations in many communities remain in place as more than 1,300 firefighting personnel continue working to strengthen containment lines. But strong winds accompanied by increased temperatures and relatively low humidity are expected late Sunday night and Monday morning — weather conditions creating new risks that could complicate firefighting efforts. …Beyond the drier, windier weather, forecasters are also predicting a significant heat wave with temperatures in the upper 90s and as high as 105 degrees expected in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

MONROVIA, Calif. — The raging Bobcat Fire was 50% contained and has burned 113,986 acres as of Thursday morning, becoming one of the largest fires ever in Los Angeles County, officials said. Investigators are attempting to figure out if Southern California Edison equipment sparked the blaze in the Angeles National Forest. Reports show the company had an equipment issue just minutes before the fire started more than two weeks ago, but Edison says cameras spotted smoke in the area even before that. Officials said a lack of resources allowed the Bobcat Fire to make a run through the mountains in the initial hours after it started. They say by the time staffing ramped up, flames were already deep in an old-growth forest where the fire had plenty to burn. …Of the 52 buildings destroyed, 27 were identified as residential, one as commercial and 24 as “other.” …Full containment of the fire… has been moved up an entire month to Sept. 30