Category Archives: Forest Fires

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.

LA PINE, Oregon — Gusty winds fueled a rapidly growing wildfire just outside the central Oregon community of La Pine and prompted evacuations Tuesday. The fire, which began about one mile south of La Pine, was estimated to be nearly half a square mile in size late Tuesday afternoon, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked an order allowing the fire marshal to mobilize resources to help fight the blaze. A billowing plume of black and gray smoke loomed over businesses. …It was not immediately clear how many homes were evacuated or if any structures had been destroyed. A message seeking comment was left for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. TV station KTVZ reported that several U.S. Forest Service campgrounds and trails had been evacuated and closed and that a temporary evacuation point was set up at the La Pine High School about 192 miles south of Portland.

Oregon is likely to face fewer big wildfires this summer than in previous years, but a lack of rural housing, coupled with unstable and often low pay, continues to create firefighter workforce challenges across the state and region. …In particular, they said they need more investment in technology — including on satellite detection — along with consistent pay increases for wildland firefighters and stable housing options. Jeff Fedrizzi, the state fire management officer for the federal Bureau of Land Management, said many wildland firefighters live out of their cars while they’re on the job. …This year, the U.S. Forest Service has about 80% of the firefighters it needs in Oregon and Washington with 20% of jobs unfilled, according to Ed Hiatt, assistant director of operations for the regional office of the Service. He said it’s been like that for about the last six years even with a recent bonus in pay.

ROSWELL, N.M. — Heavy rain and hail fell Wednesday around an evacuated village in New Mexico threatened by two wildfires that have killed at least two people and damaged an estimated 1,400 structures. The rain offered the hope of some assistance for firefighters, but added the threat of high winds and flash floods. Air tankers dropped water and retardant earlier on the pair of fires growing in a mountainous part of the state where earlier in the week thousands of residents of the village of Ruidoso were forced to flee the larger of the two blazes, the South Fork Fire, with little notice. Of the estimated 1,400 structures destroyed or damaged in the South Fork Fire, about 500 could be homes, New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham said Wednesday night. “It’s not confirmed, that about 500 homes are in that mix, again making this one of the most devastating fires in New Mexico’s history,” Grisham said.  

SANTA FE, N.M. — Thousands of southern New Mexico residents fled a mountainous village as a wind-whipped wildfire tore through homes and other buildings, and killed at least one person. Officials warned the danger isn’t over. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency that covers Ruidoso and neighboring tribal lands and deployed National Guard troops to the area. A top-level fire management team is expected to take over Wednesday, and winds will continue to challenge crews, officials said. The governor’s office confirmed the fatality but said it had no other details. Christy Hood, said the evacuation order came so quickly that she and her husband, only had time to grab their two children and two dogs. “As we were leaving, there were flames in front of me and to the side of me,” she said. …a 15-minute drive to leave town into a harrowing two-hour ordeal.

RUIDOSO, N.M. — Residents of a village in southern New Mexico were ordered to flee their homes without taking time to grab any belongings due to fast-moving wildfires. “GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately,” officials with Ruidoso, a village home to 7,000 people, said on its website and in social media posts at about 7 p.m. Monday. Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to part of the village due to the fire, which was estimated at about 21.7 square miles (56 square kilometers) with zero percent containment, forestry and village officials said Tuesday morning. The state forestry division said multiple structures were threatened and a number have been lost. A portion of U.S. Highway 70 was closed south of the village.

A brush fire off Interstate 5 near Gorman that grew to 15,610 acres Monday morning and burned hundreds of acres in Ventura County was 8% contained, officials said. The fire, dubbed the Post Fire, started in Los Angeles County and entered Ventura County near Hungry Valley late Saturday night, burning into wilderness in the southeastern portion of the Los Padres National Forest, the Ventura County Fire Department said. The fire initially erupted around 1:45 p.m. Saturday near the small community of Gorman in northwest LA County, near the border with Kern and Ventura counties. It quickly grew to thousands of acres, according to Los Angeles County fire and sheriff reports. The cause remained under investigation. California State Parks evacuated about 1,200 people from the Hungry Valley park Saturday, fire officials said. Pyramid Lake had been closed due to fire threat. Two commercial properties had been damaged and two remained under threat, fire officials said.

A wildfire northwest of Los Angeles has burned more than 14,600 acres and forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people, California fire officials said. The fast-growing blaze, which began around 2 p.m. on Saturday in Gorman, in Los Angeles County west of the I-5, was moving southeast toward Pyramid Lake, CalFire said on Sunday. Fueled by strong winds and low humidity, the so-called Post Fire exploded overnight. It spread into Ventura County to the west, burning 2,000 acres there, largely in the Los Padres National Forest, LAist reported. The fire was 2% contained as of Sunday evening. Complicating firefighting efforts, strong winds that had picked up on Sunday were expected to last until at least Monday. Wind gusts had reached 55 mph in the region and were forecast to reach up to 70 mph at night, the National Weather Service said Sunday afternoon, before decreasing throughout Monday.