Category Archives: Forest Fires

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.

BEAVER, Utah — A wildfire near Beaver burning since Thursday has already scorched more than 2,000 acres and is expected to stay “very active” as weather conditions make for firefighting challenges. The “Little Twist” fire is located four miles southeast of Beaver in steep, rugged, remote terrain. Officials said the fire started as a prescribed burn in the area, but weather conditions allowed the flames to go beyond their intended limits for the year. On Thursday, the fire was reclassified as a wildfire in order to make use of additional resources and teams to help extinguish the flames. As of Sunday night, the fire was 2,250 acres with 0% containment. Due to strong, gusty winds expected through Monday, officials anticipate the fire will be “very active.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California firefighters expected to gain ground Sunday on a wind-driven wildfire that scorched thousands of acres 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of San Francisco, burned down a home and forced residents to flee the area near the central California city of Tracy. The fire erupted Saturday afternoon in the grassy hills managed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of the country’s key centers for nuclear weapons science and technology. The cause was under investigation. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the research center was not under immediate threat from the blaze, dubbed the Corral Fire, which had devoured some 20 square miles (52 square kilometers) by Sunday afternoon and was 30% contained. Thousands of people in the area, including parts of the city of Tracy with a population of 100,000, were ordered to leave for evacuation centers.

Additional coverage in ABC News: 2 firefighters injured as wildfire spreads to 14,000 acres near San Francisco