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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Vivian Ho (now) and Kari Paul Oakland and Joanna Walters New York (earlier)

California faces 'extraordinary' challenge amid historic wildfires, governor says – as it happened

Evening summary

Thanks for sticking with us today.

  • Wildfires have burned a record 2.3m acres across California.
  • Hundreds of thousands of Californians face planned power outages in the upcoming week.
  • Cal Fire issued red flag warnings for the entire state through Wednesday, with northern California facing Diablo winds and southern California facing Santa Ana winds.

Updated

With the fast-growing Creek fire burning to the south and the Blue Jay fire burning within its borders, yellow skies – and ash – have covered Yosemite national park, one of California’s crown jewels, over the past few days.

Updated

Cal Fire lays down some terrifying stats:

https://twitter.com/CAL_FIRE/status/1303466388317634560?s=20

While fires burn throughout California, they also burn in Oregon and Washington. Take a look at this satellite imagery of the west coast:

Updated

With the smoke from the wildfires cloaking much of the state in some of the worst air quality in the world, unhoused or housing-insecure Californians living outside amid a pandemic now find themselves struggling to catch their breath:

The Creek fire burning in central California required unprecedented military-assisted emergency airlift evacuations. Here are some scenes of evacuees arriving safely in Fresno this morning:

Updated

The fires burning in the North Complex in Plumas national forest are growing at a concerning rate, with the Butte county sheriff upgrading an evacuation warning to an evacuation order for three communities where almost 1,000 live.

These fires started 17 August. Like so many others, they were caused by lightning.

Updated

About 150 to 200 miles north of San Francisco, the sky is blood-red in the middle of the afternoon.

A number of fires are causing this eerie sight: the August Complex, which has been burning in Mendocino national forest since 17 August, comprises 37 different fires that have either been contained or merged. The most recent addition is the Hopkins fire, which was 15,466 acres and located about 25 miles north-east of Covelo in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel wilderness and the Shasta Trinity national forest.

Currently, the blaze is burning at 356,312 acres and is 24% contained. It is burning across five counties: Glenn, Mendocino, Lake, Tehama and Trinity. Like so many other blazes currently burning in California, it was caused by lightning.

Updated

In San Diego, firefighters are battling the Valley fire, which broke out on Saturday.

Evacuation orders are in place for several regions throughout the county, and the sheriff’s department has closed down a number of roads. Thirty-six homes and businesses have been destroyed and two people have been injured in fire that has grown to 17,345 acres and is 3% contained.

Updated

Newsom: climate change is real

Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, used his Tuesday news briefing to bring into context the recent unprecedented heatwave, what firefighters have since dubbed the August Lightning Siege, these nonstop wildfires and the subsequent smoke-filled unhealthy air:

Updated

Hey there, Vivian Ho taking over the liveblog for the afternoon. Here are some views of the North Complex Fire burning in northern California.

Reminder that complex fires are fires that had at least two or more fires within them that were attributed to the same incident. Some fires within the complex fires have names too. For example, the Hennessy fire is part of the LNU Lightning Complex fire, currently the third-largest fire in California history.

And here we have the Bear Fire, but if you head over to the Cal Fire incident map, there is no Bear Fire listed - it’s part of the North Complex fire.

The North Complex Fire has burned 40,843 acres and is 51% contained.

Updated

Parts of California are facing power blackouts this week and more are at risk owed to extreme weather and ongoing wildfires.

The utility company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) cut power in parts of northern California early this week to reduce wildfire risk. Cutoffs began in some parts of the state on Monday night and more were possible into late Wednesday, the company said.

PG&E shut down parts of its electric grid to avoid potential wildfires if its equipment were to be downed by strong winds. The company is also at risk of exhausting the power grid after a historic heatwave pummeled the state over the weekend.

In a press conference on Tuesday, California governor Gavin Newsom said a weekend heat wave was putting extraordinary pressure on California’s utilities. Usually the state averages 38,000 daily megawatts of energy use at its peak, but over the weekend it reached more than 47,000 megawatts.

“We have put severe pressure on our grid,” Newsom said.

Updated

Cal Fire issued a “red flag” warning for nearly the entirety of the state of California as of Tuesday, as well as parts of neighboring states.

The warning is meant to alert fire departments that the state is at maximum risk for the onset or possible onset of fast-moving fires. The agency urges Californians to be extremely cautious during such warning periods, avoiding lighting any campfires or throwing lit materials like cigarette butts outdoors.

Today’s warning is due to high winds, low humidity, and high temperatures, continuing from extreme conditions over the weekend.

Gavin Newsom, the California governor, finished his press conference on massive wildfires, high winds, heatwaves, and other extreme weather events with strong words about the need to address climate change.

“I have no patience for climate change deniers,” he said. “That view is completely inconsistent with the reality on the ground, and the facts of our experiences. You may not believe it, but our own experiences tell a different story here in the state of California.”

He said California leads the country in low carbon growth and that other states should also do their part in preventing climate change.

Updated

In addition to providing updates on the wildfires in California, Gavin Newsom shared more details on the massive heatwave that hit the state over the weekend.

Los Angeles county saw temperatures of 121F, a record high. Death Valley was 122F. San Francisco hit 100F on Sunday, breaking a previous same-day record of 92F set more than 100 years ago in 1904.

These heatwaves are putting pressure on the energy supply. Usually the state averages 38,000 daily megawatts of energy use at its peak, but over the weekend it reached more than 47,000 megawatts.

“We have put severe pressure on our grid,” Newsom said.

Updated

Newsom said 150 additional people were evacuated this morning from the Creek fire. There are ongoing rescue efforts there, after more than 200 people and more than 10 pets were evacuated on Monday night.

The fast-moving fire encircled popular vacation spots before many could leave, requiring a number of rescue flights by the national guard. As of Tuesday morning, the fire is 0% contained and has engulfed more than 140,000 acres.

Updated

California faces 'extraordinary' challenge, governor says

In a press conference on Tuesday, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, addressed the historic wildfire season in the state, sharing updates on size of fires and response to them.

“The word historic is a term we use often in the state of California, but these numbers bear fruit to that assertion this is historic,” Newsom said. “It’s rather extraordinary, the challenge we have faced this season.”

Newsom said there have been a record number of fires already in 2020, not even halfway through the usual fire season. The number of acres burnt in fires this year is also at a record high, with 1.8m acres burnt since just 15 August - more than 100 times the size of Manhattan, New York.

Stay tuned for additional updates from the presser.

Updated

San Francisco continues its “Spare the Air” alerts for a 22nd consecutive day, meaning wood burning fires are prohibited to help manage the already-poor air quality.

Footage from San Francisco shows smog and smoke around the city obscuring the view of its iconic Bay.

Washington and Oregon are also facing some extreme air quality issues as the states battle their own wildfires. Seattle, Washington had the 7th worst air quality in the world on Thursday, with an AQI of 137.

At least five major fires have spread across the state of Washington in the last few days, fueled in part by strong winds. The largest, the Cold Spring Canyon fire, has spread to 67,000 acres in size and was 0% contained as of Tuesday morning.

Updated

The fast-moving Creek fire exploded in size on Monday night, pushing California over the edge of a new state record for most acres of land burned during one fire season.

The Creek fire is spreading through the Sierra national forest and Fresno county, and as of Tuesday morning, the fire was 0% contained.

At least 65 buildings have been burnt, according to Cal Fire, and 5,300 homes are threatened by the fire.

Several rescue missions were carried out on Monday night. At least 224 people were lifted out by helicopter after being trapped at Mammoth Pool Reservoir, a popular lake that was busy for the holiday weekend. The fire had blocked the only road out of the site.

Harrowing videos emerged of people awaiting rescue as flames encroached upon their campsites.

Twelve people lifted out of the reservoir needed hospitalization for broken bones and burns incurred while escaping the flames.

Other rescue missions had to be put on hold due to excessive smoke making flying helicopters unsafe.

The national guard continued on Tuesday morning to rescue dozens of hikers and campers in parks, many of whom did not have cell service and were unaware the flames were encroaching upon them.

Updated

The sky in the Bay Area on Tuesday morning was an ominous orange as smoke from several fires in neighboring counties obscured the light.

Many residents of Oakland and San Francisco were confused to see local air quality sensors reading “green” or saying the air was safe despite its apocalyptic appearance.

Drew Tuma, a meteorologist with ABC7, said this is because air has brought smoke from the August Complex Fires into the Bay Area. Sensors are showing good air quality despite the smoke because strong winds are keeping it above ground.

Hello readers, Kari Paul here to bring you news on the fires across the western half of the US for the next few hours. Stand by for updates.

Updated

Climate crisis plays a significant role

When parts of California turned into Hell on Earth in 2018, my colleague Oliver Milman wrote the following and it’s even more relevant today as time ticks closer to environmental catastrophe for the planet.

Large wildfires require a cocktail of conditions, such as favourable wind speed and direction, fuel, terrain and, of course, ignition, which can be as simple as a trailer throwing up sparks by scraping on a road.

Broadly speaking, however, climate change is making conditions more favourable for wildfires in the American west. Of the 20 largest wildfires in California’s recorded history, 15 have occurred since 2000, at a time when forests have become drier and warmer.

Since 1970, temperatures in the west have increased by about double the global average, lengthening the western wildfire season by several months and drying out large tracts of forests, making them more fire-prone.

“Climate change is increasing the vulnerability of many forests to ecosystem changes and tree mortality through fire, insect infestations, drought and disease outbreaks,” a major climate assessment by the US government states.

“Given strong relationships between climate and fire, even when modified by land use and management such as fuel treatments, projected climate changes suggest that western forests in the United States will be increasingly affected by large and intense fires that occur more frequently,” the report adds, noting that fire suppression techniques have also heightened the risk.

Here’s our current Guardian US special series, Climate Countdown.

Parts of Oregon and Washington state in the Pacific north-west ablaze

Multiple wildfires are burning across north-west Oregon state and many have spread into populated areas east of Salem and Eugene, south of Portland.

Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures have energized wildfires across Oregon, forcing evacuations in several communities in Marion county, home to the state capital of Salem, the Statesman Journal reports.

Meanwhile, Washington state’s commissioner of public lands, Hilary Franz, tweeted that “we’re still seeing new fire starts in every corner of the state.”

Updated

California’s record-breaking fire season could get much worse in the coming days as powerful winds heighten the danger of more blazes while firefighters continue to struggle with destructive conflagrations across the state.

Intense seasonal winds up to 45mph are forecast for both northern and southern California this week, the LA Times report, saying that with fires burning from the Sierra to San Diego, resources are stretched thin.

“Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior … and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire,” Randy Moore, regional forester for the US Forest Service, told the paper.

The Creek Fire near Fresno, in central California, has killed at least one person and destroyed a large part of the town of Big Creek.

This fire in particular has proved a challenge in steep, forested hillside, where conditions are not just dry but millions of trees have been killed by beetle populations that don’t die off in winter any more, because of global heating.

This is just one element of the climate crisis that is exacerbating wildfires in many parts of the world, including California.

The Bobcat Fire is ablaze in the Angeles national forest just north-east of LA.

In San Bernardino, in the same region, the El Dorado Fire continues to spread and was started by sparks from a tiny smoke bomb-type device sometimes employed at gender reveal parties that some people like to hold to celebrate the forecast gender of their forthcoming baby.

California fires dimmed the sunset in Las Vegas last night.
California fires dimmed the sunset in Las Vegas last night. Photograph: David Becker/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock

The El Dorado fire:

Updated

California sweltering in all-time record heat, now dry conditions, 'devil' winds to bring danger, misery this week

California’s latest heat wave has smashed some all-time records, contributing to another explosion of wildfires that already topped a state record a month before their typical peak time of year.

While a marked cooling is expected in California the next several days, increasing winds will replace the searing heat as a major fire concern, the Weather Channel reports.

Red flag warnings for this fire danger are in effect for much of California, as well as the Great Basin (the inland area that includes parts of northern California, Nevada and Utah) and the north-west.

There’s acute fire danger from Seattle, Washington, to Phoenix, Arizona, and almost as far east as Salt Lake City.

In California, the seasonal strong, dry, offshore winds post extreme danger.

They’re known as the Santa Ana winds in southern California and the Diablo winds in northern California.

The Weather Channel further reports that:

Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, the magnitude of the heat in parts of California and the Southwest was off the charts for early September. On Sunday, Woodland Hills, California, soared to 121 degrees. This wasn’t simply an all-time record in this LA suburb about 20 miles west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was the hottest official temperature on record anywhere in L.A. County, according to the National Weather Service.

Updated

Map of wildfires

Here’s one useful map currently posted on Twitter, showing the glow of wildfires this morning across California and the western region. Click on the map itself for a better close-up.

Updated

The largest fire in the rash in California that ignited over the last four or five days is the Creek Fire, but it is one of many hundreds that have raged in the state just in the last couple of weeks.

Here’s some of USA Today’s more general report this morning:

Almost 1,000 fires have raged in the state since Aug. 15, many sparked by lightning strikes. California already has set a grim record with more than 2m acres burned this year – with several weeks remaining in the heart of fire season.

Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures energized wildfires across Oregon and Washington state as well. Almost 250,000 homes and businesses in the two states were without power, and the small town of Malden, in Washington’s Whitman County, was devastated by flames.

“The scale of this disaster really can’t be expressed in words,” Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said in a statement. “The fire will be extinguished but a community has been changed for a lifetime. I just hope we don’t find the fire took more than homes and buildings. I pray everyone got out in time.”

The most acute fire danger this hour is from the Creek Fire, near Fresno. Rescues are under way, and the report continues:

Fire officials haven’t even begun to assess the structures lost to the wildfire, but know it’s extensive.

“This fire has already hit us hard,” said Dean Gould, Sierra National Forest supervisor. “I know on the forest staff, personally, there’s been loss of homes.”

More than 60 hikers and campers are unable to evacuate Lake Edison and China Peak areas due to the dense smoke cover. Fresno County Lt. Brandon Purcell said the trapped people were safe but “can’t get out because of roadblocks.”

Later, KMPH-TV reported that military helicopters had evacuated about two dozen people. The effort was continuing, but National Guard officials told the TV station that at least five people refused to board helicopters.

Creek Fire, Huntington Lake Road, Big Creek, California, United States. A vehicle streaks by in a long exposure as Fresno County Sheriff Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along CA-168 as the Creek Fire crept closer to town on Sunday.
Creek Fire, Huntington Lake Road, Big Creek, California, United States. A vehicle streaks by in a long exposure as Fresno County Sheriff Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along CA-168 as the Creek Fire crept closer to town on Sunday. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

The Creek Fire near Fresno is 0% contained, as the saying goes – in other words it’s completely out of control. This fast-moving blaze has already destroyed more than 135,000 acres.

Rescues are under way of at least 60 people trapped by the Creek Fire blaze in the Sierra national forest.

Updated

Record wildfires ravaging California, danger season just begun

Hello, Guardian readers in the US and around the world, with dozens of wildfires destroying record acreage in California and the danger and damage only forecast to get worse, we want to keep you updated on news developments in a special live blog. Northern, central and southern California are all affected. Fires are also burning to the north, in Oregon and Washington State.

My colleagues in California will take over the blog later this morning and bring you reports from the heart of the breaking news on that time zone. But we’ll get started from the Guardian US New York office.

Here are the main events we’re following so far:

  • At least 22 wildfires are raging in California, with the biggest hotspot currently being the Creek Fire near Fresno in the central part of the state, which is completely out of control.
  • More than 60 people are trapped in the Sierra National Forest in that region and are awaiting rescue this morning by helicopter.
  • California’s largest utility (PG&E) is cutting off power to more than 170,000 customers today as inflammatory weather conditions continue to fuel blazes across the Pacific Northwest.
  • Wildfires have burned more than 2m acres (809,000 hectares) in California already this year, setting a state record even as crews battle growing blazes in sweltering temperatures.
  • The height of the wildfire season in the region is September and October, so what is already a hellish situation is certain to get worse. Storm force winds, tinder dry conditions and trees that have been killed by beetles - exacerbated by the climate crisis - are all fueling record blazes. The forecast is bad.
  • Wildfires have also broken out in parts of Oregon and Washington State and evacuations are underway.
  • In what is already a historic wildfire season, almost 1,000 wildfires have burned in California since August 15, according to this USA Today report.
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