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BECKWOURTH, Calif. (AP) – Flames threatening campgrounds and cabins have caused evacuations and closed a swathe of northern California forest as the state headed for another weekend of scorching dry weather and the persistent threat of forest fires.
Hundreds of firefighters aided by planes battled the Beckwourth Complex, two lightning-triggered fires that forced their way through the eastern edge of the million-acre Plumas National Forest in the northern Sierra Nevada, near the Nevada border.
Campgrounds and homes around Frenchman Lake were under evacuation order on Friday and an area of nearly 200 square miles (518 square kilometers) of forest was closed due to the danger, the officer said. Pandora Valle fire information.
After a day and a night of explosive growth, the blaze covered more than 38 square miles (98 square kilometers) by mid-morning Friday, dropping containment to 11%.
Flames burned through the pine, spruce and chaparral which had become dry due to low humidity and high temperatures, while ridge-top winds and afternoon gusts of up to 35 mph ” were really “flames” sometimes, Valle said.
The blaze was one of many fires in the north, where several other large fires have destroyed dozens of homes in recent days.
In the region between the Oregon border and the northern end of the Central Valley, the large lava and Tennant fires were significantly contained, and progress was reported at Salt Fire as containment began. improved to 45%. The salt fire burned 27 homes and 14 outhouses north of Redding, which reached 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius) by 11 a.m. The lava fire destroyed 20 structures, including 13 houses, and damaged two structures. The Tennant fire destroyed five buildings, including two houses.
In north-central Arizona, rising humidity slowed a large wildfire that posed a threat to the rural community of Crown King. The 24.5 square mile (63.5 square kilometers) fire caused by lightning strikes in Yavapai County was 29 percent contained. Recent rains have enabled five national forests and state land managers to lift public access closures.
Climate change is seen as a “key driver” of a trend that is creating “longer and more intense dry seasons which increase water stress on vegetation and make forests more vulnerable to severe forest fires,” said recently the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Firefighters will inform the community of the progress made on Friday evening at the Chiloquin Community Center. The meeting will be broadcast on the Fremont-Winema National Forest Facebook page from 7 p.m.
In Oregon, driven by strong winds, a wildfire in Klamath County rose from nearly 26 square miles (67 km²) on Thursday to nearly 61 square miles (158 km²) in the Fremont National Forest on Friday. -Winema and on private land. It was 0% content, according to an update posted on Facebook by the incident management team. Klamath County Emergency Management issued an immediate evacuation order for people in some areas north of Beatty and near Sprague River on Friday. California sent two response teams with forest engines to help.
In Idaho, Governor Brad Little on Friday declared a wildfire emergency in the state and mobilized the Idaho National Guard to help fight the fires that had broken out statewide after thunderstorms swept through the drought-stricken region.
Fire crews in north-central Idaho faced extreme fire conditions and gusty winds as they battled two wildfires that threatened homes and forced evacuations in the small and remote community de Dixie, about 40 miles southeast of Grangeville. Efforts were complicated in part because firefighting resources were limited, fire officials said, and in part because the area has very difficult terrain covered with trees and plants that are dry due to of the ongoing drought.
The fires near Dixie, covering a combined area of 19.5 square miles (50.5 square kilometers), were among several that began after thunderstorms swept through the area earlier this week.
Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that much of California will experience dangerously warm weather on the weekends, with triple-digit highs in the Central Valley, mountains, deserts and other inland areas due the strengthening of the high pressure on the State. Heat warnings did not include major coastal populations.
Death Valley could reach a staggering 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius), the National Weather Service has said.
The California power grid operator issued a statewide Flex alert from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to avoid disruptions and power outages. Flex Alerts call on consumers to voluntarily save electricity by reducing the use of household appliances and keeping the thermostat higher during the evening hours when solar energy is reduced or is no longer available.
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