Wildfires besiege Northern California, forcing thousands to flee
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Version 0 of 1. High winds, high temperatures and parched earth have helped fuel nearly a dozen wildfires in Northern California, ripping through small towns, burning homes and forcing thousands of people to flee. The rapid spread of the wildfires has been caused by a perfect storm of conditions, made worse by one of the most severe droughts ever recorded in California. “The drought simply adds to the seasonal extremes that California already faces every summer and fall season,” Central Sierra Environmental Resources Center director John Buckley told the San Francisco Chronicle. By Tuesday, fire crews and aircraft managed to partially contain a blaze that devastated the small town of Weed, the Associated Press reported. That fire started Monday afternoon and soon spread across 375 acres, thanks in part to 40 mph winds, the Los Angeles Times reported. Calmer winds Tuesday helped firefighters in their effort, according to the AP. Dubbed the Boles Fire, it forced more than 1,500 people to flee the small logging town, the Times reported, and ended up destroying or damaging 100 homes and burning the Holy Family Catholic Church church to the ground, the AP reported. The towns of Weed, Carrick and Lake Shastina were evacuated, and firefighters said they saw “fireballs whipping in front of the main body of the fire,” according to the Chronicle. “This was a very destructive, fast-moving fire,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said, according to the Chronicle. “Because of the dry conditions and these gusty winds, this fire was able to easily burn into the town before firefighters were able to get there and fight back. Obviously any fire that burns right up to a community is going to be frightening for those residents.” Some residents said the fire raced through the town within minutes. Dan Linville told the Associated Press that he and his son smelled smoke from inside their house and saw a black cloud coming over the nearby hills; within 10 minutes, the fire overtook their neighborhood, just missing their home. “It’s horrible,” Linville said. “I’ve got tears in my heart for all these people that I know who lost their homes.” Elsewhere, the King Fire, which began early Sunday evening in El Dorado National Forest, has grown to 11,570 acres and is just 5 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. That fire doubled in size by Monday night to 8,600 acres, and has prompted 160 mandatory evacuations, according to Sacramento’s ABC affiliate, KXTV. “This is just crazy,” Gold Ridge resident Nanette Machleit told the station. “You can just see the flames and the fumes.” Nearly, 1,500 firefighters have been assigned to the blaze, which has caused one reported injury, according to the Forest Service. The Courtney wildfire has burned 320 acres in Madera County and damaged more than 60 structures, including 33 homes, Valley Public Radio reported. As of Tuesday, the blaze was 40 percent contained but evacuation orders were still in effect for nearly 600 people near the town The fire still threatens Bass Lake Heights, where 600 residents have been told to flee, the Times reported. “It’s like a war zone,” Stephen Sidman told the Fresno Bee. Here is a map of the general locations for some of the state’s active and contained wildfires, per Cal Fire: View California Fire Map in a larger map |