Category Archives: Forest Fires

SACRAMENTO – Following the devastation of the Los Angeles firestorms and with escalating risks of catastrophic wildfires, the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force today released a list of 25 key deliverables that will protect communities and natural landscapes statewide. The list builds on Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency proclamation to expedite wildfire prevention projects across the state, and the extensive work of the Task Force to date. A full list of the 2025 Key Deliverables is available here. The deliverables outline the highest priority actions underway this year to achieve the commitments in California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, launched in 2021, and to advance key new initiatives that will be highlighted in the forthcoming update of the Action Plan to be released later this year. Many of the deliverables are already underway.

One of the most destructive wildfire events in Oregon history, which killed five and burned hundreds of homes, was caused by embers raining down on the Santiam Canyon and not downed power lines sparking new fires, according to a long-awaited report released Wednesday that critics said was incomplete. Four and a half years after the 193,000-acre Santiam-Beachie Fires … the Oregon Department of Forestry released its investigation … into how the fires ignited and spread during a powerful windstorm Labor Day night of 2020. The report’s main conclusion is that power lines, mainly owned by utility giant PacifiCorp, were not to blame for the deadly and destructive fires, and that embers from the Beachie Creek Fire, which had been active for weeks in the Opal Creek Wilderness, caused the majority of destruction. That finding was almost the opposite of a Portland jury ruling in June 2023 that PacifiCorp was not only liable, but grossly negligent for the fires.

OHIO — Governor Mike DeWine announced this week that a nine-person fire management team from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has been deployed to assist in combating the wildfires raging across California. Fire managers in southern California requested additional resources yesterday as dry conditions and strong winds continue to fuel the fires. “We’ve been anticipating that California may call on our skilled ODNR wildfire response team, so we were prepared and ready to answer the call for help,” said Governor DeWine. “I commend the members of our brave crew who are leaving their loved ones in order to support their counterparts on the West Coast.” The ODNR wildfire response team, part of the agency’s Division of Forestry, departed Columbus today for Beaumont, California, where they will receive further assignment details.

CASTAIC, California – A new wildfire that broke out north of Los Angeles on Wednesday rapidly spread to more than 9,400 acres, fueled by strong winds and dry brush, forcing mandatory evacuation orders for more than 31,000 people. The Hughes fire, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, sent huge flames and plumes of smoke over a hilly area and further taxed firefighters who have managed to bring two major fires in the metropolitan area largely under control. In just a few hours on Wednesday, the new fire grew to two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire. The affected area was not as populated as those blazes, said a spokesperson for the firefighters, Matthew Van Hagen. “It’s more sparsely populated. However, we are dealing with high winds, which we also saw with the other fires, along with … a very receptive fuel bed and steep topography again,” he said.

PHOENIX — Containment of the Horton Fire northeast of Payson is nearing 100%, according to authorities. The Arizona wildfire consumed 8,346 acres of National Forest Service land before progress was stopped. Containment was up to 94% as of Friday’s incident report. Crews completed containment efforts along State Route 260 on Thursday, officials said. The remaining focus is on further securing containment, conducting mop up work and assessing the damage. However, the initial assessment from the Burned Area Emergency Response team indicates minimal damage to the soil structure and fine roots within the soil. …The Horton Fire is classified as human-caused, but the exact source remains under investigation. It started Dec. 14 in the area of Promontory Point in Tonto National Forest, about 17 miles from Payson, and spread into Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest land. The initial activity was within steep and rugged terrain on the Mogollon Rim, making it difficult for firefighters to access.

Additional coverage in Payson Roundup by Peter Aleshire: Dry winter already setting records in Arizona

PACIFIC PALISADES, California − Firefighters were progressing in their battle against two massive wildfires as winds eased early Thursday, bringing a respite to frustrated and beleaguered residents across Los Angeles County who have been on edge for over a week. All “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warnings largely expired by Wednesday night without causing any significant fire growth, according to the National Weather Service. But dry conditions and locally gusty winds were forecast to linger into Thursday − particularly in the mountains, the weather service warned. According to the weather services, temperatures were also expected to drop five to 10 degrees below normal for the remainder of the week, and Friday is predicted to be the coldest. “Good news,” the weather service’s Los Angeles office said. “Bad News: Next week is a concern. While confident that we will NOT see a repeat of last week, dangerous fire weather conditions are expected.”

Fire crews from the BC Wildfire Service are now on the ground in Los Angeles, helping to battle the blaze that has destroyed thousands of homes and claimed the lives of at least 25 people. “The hearts of all British Columbians are with California. It is heartbreaking to watch,” said Minister of Forests in B.C. Ravi Parmar. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reached out directly to the BC Wildfire Service for aid after the fires, which sparked on Jan. 7, began to burn out of control. …Currently, a team of 12 highly trained technical specialists are working as a senior management team and 22 BCWS ground crew members from across the province in L.A. “We will be watching and are here and ready to support if they need any additional aid. We know too well the challenges of wildfires and when we needed help, California was there for us,” said Minister Parmar.

Foreboding weather forecasts keep tensions high in Los Angeles as one of North America’s largest cities battles wildfires that have already claimed at least two dozen lives and thousands of homes. Here are some data points that put into context the peril the city is in. The most destructive fires in California history — and how they compare to Canada’s largest wildfire: Palisades and Eaton fires are already among the most destructive in California’s history, scorching more than 10,000 structures in just a matter of days. With persistent winds in the forecast, those numbers could climb even higher. For context, Canada’s most devastating wildfire — in Fort McMurray, Alta., in 2016—destroyed an estimated 2,400 structures.

Fires burning homes and businesses in Los Angeles for a week have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands of others and destroyed more than 12,000 buildings in what might be the most expensive conflagrations in the nation’s history. The blazes started Jan. 7, fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds that have posed problems for the large forces of firefighters deployed across several areas of the sprawling city. Cal Fire reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires have consumed about 63 square miles (163 square kilometers). Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the fires. They could be the nation’s costliest ever.

Related coverage:

• AP news: Los Angeles wildfires live updates: Firefighters brace for dry conditions and strong winds
• New York Times: Live Updates: Winds Intensify in L.A. as Largest Fires Rage On

LOS ANGELES – A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying numerous buildings and creating traffic jams as more than 30,000 people evacuated, while a second blaze doubled in size some 30 miles inland. At least 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) of the Pacific Palisades area between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu had burned by the Palisades Fire, officials said, after they had already warned of extreme fire danger from powerful winds that arrived following extended dry weather. …The second blaze dubbed the Eaton Fire broke out some 30 miles (50 km) inland near Pasadena and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) in a few hours, according to Cal Fire. …Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had earlier told a press conference that more than 25,000 people in 10,000 homes were threatened.

LOS ANGELES — Wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force Wednesday after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. The flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. …Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences… A third wildfire started around 10:30 p.m. and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that is the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles, and a fourth was reported early Wednesday in Coachella, in Riverside County.

In reports released Monday, Jan. 6, the State Fire Marshal’s Office detailed how an Oct. 6 fire that destroyed 30,549 acres, killed two people and traveled between Ray and Tioga started. It was one of two fires that burned nearly 90,000 acres and nearly engulfed the two small cities in northwest North Dakota… The tree hit the power line and broke it in half. The downed lines then ignited dry grass. Photos included in the Fire Marshal’s report showed the broken power lines and impact points on the tree, which reportedly was taller than the power lines… Officials are still determining what started a second fire that started the same day near U.S. Highway 85 about 30 miles north of Williston.

ARIZONA — The Horton Fire northeast of Payson burned more than 600 acres of forest by Saturday and was 0% contained, according to the authorities with the Tonto National Forest. Nearly 150 firefighters and personnel battled the wildfire that threatened nearby communities of Tonto Creek Estates, Tonto Christian Camp, Tonto Fish Hatcher and Zane Grey Cabins, which were on a pre-evacuation “set” status and must be prepared to leave at the notice of authorities. The fire started Dec.14 and caused an emergency closure of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and Tonto National Forest earlier this week. The forest closures would remain in place through Jan. 31, 2025, according to authorities.

MALIBU, California — The Malibu wildfire continues to threaten over 1,000 structures as firefighters work to gain control of it, officials said. The wildfire, known as the Franklin Fire, has destroyed 19 structures and damaged 27. It threatens 1,025 structures Sunday as 4,037 acres are set ablaze in Malibu, California, located around 29 miles west of Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire.) The fire had threatened over 4,300 structures Saturday. Firefighters have progressed in containing the fire, as cooler temperatures and higher humidity levels have assisted them in their efforts. As of Sunday morning, firefighters have contained 42% of the wildfire, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation orders have been lifted in some areas, and people were able to return to their homes.

Much of October was a smoky existence along the Wasatch Back while the largest wildfire of the year in Utah burned 33,000 acres of national forest laced with beetle-killed timber east of Frances almost to Hanna. Before unseasonably warm and dry weather gave way to snow, the Yellow Lake Fire burned for a month and a half, from Sept. 28 to Nov. 12. But inside the fire perimeter, nearly 7,300 acres did not burn at all, and no structures burned, either. “That was because of where it was, and the weather patterns during the fire,” said Ken Verboncoeur, the Heber-Kamas district ranger for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. …So far, the Forest Service has not noticed any significant loss of wildlife in the fire zone. Because the area has numerous patches of meadows and open areas, and the fire was largely a patchy or mosaic pattern, the belief is that animals used these open areas as safe zones.

The Shoe Fire that burned more than 5,000 acres north of Lake Shasta was caused by a landowner who lost control of an unpermitted burn that he was doing on his own property, the U.S. Forest Service said. The fire started on Oct. 9 before it was finally contained on Nov. 9. An investigation determined the fire started within a meadow on private land before it spread to adjacent properties and National Forest lands, the Forest Service posted on its Facebook page. Forest Service spokesman Tom Stokesberry said the man has been cited for violations of federal law. He did not know the specific charges. The Forest Service also did not release the name of the landowner. …Cost to suppress the fire reached is an estimated $42.5 million, according to the National Interagency Fire Center’s situation report.

Firefighters announced Saturday the Shoe Fire, burning north of Lake Shasta and Redding, is 100% contained. Firefighters will continue monitoring containment lines and snuffing hot spots where the wildfire could flare up, according to the Shoe Fire inter-agency task force.  The blaze remained its current size, 5,124 acres, since the last week of October, while sporadic rainstorms soaked much of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest where it burned. Chilly temperatures that dipped into the low 40s also helped calm the flames. That cool wet weather bought firefighters time to build containment lines around the blaze, and patrol and bolster current ones, Shoe Fire incident team spokesperson Lisa McNee said last week.

CAMARILLO, Calif. — Southern California firefighters working to contain a wildfire that has destroyed 132 structures in two days could be assisted by a forecast of fierce wind gusts easing early Friday, officials said. The Mountain Fire started Wednesday morning in Ventura County and had grown to 32 square miles (about 83 square kilometers) with 5% contained Thursday night. Some 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders Friday morning as the fire continued to threaten about 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo in Ventura County. At least 88 additional structures were damaged in addition to the 132 destroyed, which were mostly homes. Officials did not specify whether they had been burned or affected by water or smoke damage. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Fire officials and foresters say that in many respects it was an unprecedented wildfire season in the Equality State, especially for private land and eastern forests. At its peak, the mighty Elk Fire made a furious wind-driven, overnight run. Sheridan and Johnson County firefighters had never seen anything like it before on their home turf. Neither had their parents or grandparents. On Oct. 4, the blaze consumed more of the Bighorns’ rugged east slope than any previously documented fire had burned that forest in total. “In a matter of three hours it ran 25,000 acres,” Bighorn National Forest Supervisor Andrew Johnson said. “In the last 100 years, the largest fire on the forest had been about 18,000 acres — and it took over a month to get that size.” By the time a potentially season-ending snowstorm hit in late October, the blaze had surpassed 98,000 acres. The Elk Fire … was 5 times larger than anything in the record books.