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Thousands under evacuation orders in California and Oregon as wildfires burn Wildfires in California and Oregon destroy homes and prompt thousands of evacuations
(about 2 hours later)
Pickett fire chars Napa wine country while predicted thunderstorms add to danger of Oregon’s Flat firePickett fire chars Napa wine country while predicted thunderstorms add to danger of Oregon’s Flat fire
Thousands of homes in northern California wine country and central Oregon were under evacuation orders as firefighting crews battled wildfires in dry, hot weather. Wildfires raging in northern California wine country and central Oregon have destroyed multiple homes and threatened thousands more as hot, dry weather created challenges for firefighters battles the blazes.
The Pickett fire, which had charred more than 6,800 acres of Napa county, was just 13% contained by Monday morning, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection, or Cal Fire. Ten structures – including four homes – have been destroyed in Oregon’s Deschutes County as of Monday, where a wildfire dubbed the Flat fire continues to burn.
About 150 people were ordered to leave their homes, while another 360 were under evacuation warnings as the fire threatened 500 structures near Aetna Springs and Pope Valley, 80 miles (127km) north of San Francisco, said a Cal Fire spokesperson, Jason Clay. Some evacuation orders were later lifted. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of homes and personal property and extend our sympathy to those affected,” said the Deschutes county sheriff Ty Rupert in a Facebook post, who also thanked firefighters for saving “hundreds of homes”. About 4,000 homes in the area remain under evacuation notices.
In Oregon, the Flat fire in Deschutes and Jefferson counties had about 4,000 homes under various levels of evacuation notice, including 1,000 with orders to leave immediately, according to the state fire marshal’s office. Meanwhile in northern California’s Napa county, a wildfire dubbed the Pickett fire has charred more than 6,800 acres since breaking out late last week in remote territory amid a searing heatwave. The fire is burning in an area that is well known for its wineries and hot springs, and is threatening about 500 structures. About 150 people were ordered to leave their homes, while another 360 were under evacuation warnings near Aetna Springs and Pope Valley, located 80 miles (130km) north of San Francisco, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay.
Firefighters were able to cut containment lines and continued to suppress fires in some residential areas. However, they faced significant challenges with difficult terrain, low humidity and triple-digit temperatures in some areas, officials said. The Pickett fire is now 13% contained, and more than 1,230 firefighters have been dispatched to the scene, backed by 10 helicopters. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Some homes have burned, and officials said they were working to confirm the status of structures. “The fire is currently holding within its current footprint at 6,803 acres (2,753 hectares),” spokesperson Curtis Rhodes told the Associated Press on Monday morning. “With the weather over the last 48 hours, we’re seeing high temperatures, low humidity paired with some increasing wind in the late afternoon, which was giving our troops some additional work on the eastern side of this incident.”
More than 1,230 firefighters backed by 10 helicopters were battling the California fire, which began in a remote area on Thursday after a week of hot weather. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Firefighting equipment has been put in place to protect vineyards, he added.
Wine production “is a driving force here in the community as far as income and revenue”, Rhodes said.
Residents of the western United States have been sweltering in a heatwave that hospitalized some people, with temperatures hitting dangerous levels throughout the weekend in Washington, Oregon, southern California, Nevada and Arizona.Residents of the western United States have been sweltering in a heatwave that hospitalized some people, with temperatures hitting dangerous levels throughout the weekend in Washington, Oregon, southern California, Nevada and Arizona.
Even after the heatwave subsides, the risks will remain. With minimal moisture in areas of California and the Pacific north-west, fire dangers are expected to climb through the next month and into October. Even after the heatwave subsides, the risks will remain. With minimal moisture in areas of California and the Pacific north-west, fire dangers are expected to climb through the next month and into October. Vegetation is dangerously dry and overgrown in parts of Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming.
Vegetation is dangerously dry and overgrown in parts of Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming. The intense summer conditions have sparked multiple wildfires across the US west in recent weeks.
The heat – which will bake moisture out of already parched landscapes and increase the potential for ignitions, rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior – also create significant threats to public health. In southwest Montana, a firefighter died on Sunday afternoon after suffering a cardiac emergency while battling a blaze dubbed the Bivens Creek fire, which is burning in a remote area with thick timber and numerous dead trees.
Extreme heat, often called a “silent killer”, already ranks as the most lethal weather-related disaster in the US, and deaths are increasing. Fueled by the climate crisis, and often exacerbated by concrete cityscapes that cook when temperatures rise, heatwaves are getting longer, larger and more intense. The man, who was not immediately identified, was among more than 700 firefighters working on the lightning-caused fire in the Tobacco Root Mountains about 15 miles (24km) north of Virginia City, Montana.
The Pickett fire began in the same area as the much larger Glass fire in 2020, which crossed into Sonoma county and eventually burned about 105 square miles (272 sq km) and more than 1,500 structures.The Pickett fire began in the same area as the much larger Glass fire in 2020, which crossed into Sonoma county and eventually burned about 105 square miles (272 sq km) and more than 1,500 structures.
The 2020 blaze was driven by wind, while the current conflagration is fueled mainly by dry vegetation on steep slopes — some of it dead and downed trees left over from the Glass fire and some of it grass and brush that grew back and then dried out again, said Clay. The 2020 blaze was driven by wind, while the current conflagration is fueled mainly by dry vegetation on steep slopes – some of it dead and downed trees left over from the Glass fire and some of it grass and brush that grew back and then dried out again, said Clay.
Clay said the weather has moderated since the California fire began, with Sunday’s high at about 94F (34C). But humidity levels were expected to drop with increasing winds later in the day.
“That’s been a driving factor in the afternoons since we’ve seen the fire activity pick up for the last three days,” Clay said, adding that “support from all up and down California has been critical to our efforts.”
The area of the Oregon fire is in a high desert climate, where dried grasses and juniper trees are burning and fire is racing through canyon areas where it is challenging to create containment lines, said Jason Carr, Deschutes county sheriff’s spokesperson.The area of the Oregon fire is in a high desert climate, where dried grasses and juniper trees are burning and fire is racing through canyon areas where it is challenging to create containment lines, said Jason Carr, Deschutes county sheriff’s spokesperson.
The fire began on Thursday night and grew quickly amid hot, gusty conditions. Fire officials were keeping an eye on isolated thunderstorms in southern Oregon that could drift north on Sunday, a state fire marshals spokesperson, Chris Schimmer, said in a video posted to Facebook.The fire began on Thursday night and grew quickly amid hot, gusty conditions. Fire officials were keeping an eye on isolated thunderstorms in southern Oregon that could drift north on Sunday, a state fire marshals spokesperson, Chris Schimmer, said in a video posted to Facebook.
“If we get thunderstorms that roll through, it can ... cause the fire to jump [containment] lines,” said Carr, adding the downdrafts can push fire in multiple directions. “If we get thunderstorms that roll through, it can … cause the fire to jump [containment] lines,” said Carr, adding the downdrafts can push fire in multiple directions.
Although it’s difficult to directly tie a single fire or weather event directly to climate change, scientists say human-caused warming from burning fossil fuels like coal and gas is causing more intense heatwaves and droughts, which in turn set the stage for more destructive wildfires.