Category Archives: California

US wildfires: Oregon has ‘never seen this amount of uncontained fire’, governor says – live

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Washington state’s governor, Jay Inslee, said today that the fires in the state have burned nearly 937 sq miles (2,426km).

“We’ve had this trauma all over Washington,” Inslee said, KHQ-TV reported. The governor was touring the farm town of Malden, which is 35 miles south of Spokane: “But this is the place where the whole heart of the town was torn out.”

Stunned residents of the small Oregon town of Phoenix walked through a scene of devastation Thursday after one of the state’s many wildfires wiped out much of their community, including a mobile home park, houses and businesses, the AP reports on the ground.

There were flames across the street from me, flames to the right of me, flames to the left of me. I just watched everything burn.”

Burned out cars, charred lawn ornaments, rubble. That’s what’s left of this Phoenix mobile home park, which covers abt 20 acres. Flames and smoldering embers still visible here. Everything is blackened by fire.

This was home to abt 300 people. pic.twitter.com/DrDobLKVev

Mayor Chris Luz talks about the loss of Puck’s Donuts. pic.twitter.com/4qz2gLy9Jb

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Oregon fires force 500,000 to evacuate as blazes across American west kill 15

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  • Unprecedented fire conditions burn more than 900,000 acres
  • Firefighting resources are stretched thin in three states

More than 500,000 people in Oregon have been forced to evacuate as unprecedented wildfires rage across the state, amounting to more than 10% of the population, authorities said Thursday.

Wildfires searing through the American west have killed at least 15 people, leveled entire neighborhoods and forced stretched firefighting crews to make tough decisions about where to deploy.

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Winds fuel wildfires in California as blazes rage across US west

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Region sees amber skies while Washington state faces more acres burned in a day than typically burn in a year

Large, fast-moving fires raged on across the American west on Wednesday, destroying hundreds of homes in the Pacific north-west and sending a dense plume of smoke that turned skies amber across parts of the region.

Related: California, Oregon and Washington battle dozens of fires – live updates

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California governor on wildfires: ‘No patience for climate change deniers’ – video

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About a million hectares (2.3m acres) have been burned so far in California as uncontrolled fires driven by high winds and unprecedented temperatures rage across the west coast of the US. The state governor, Gavin Newsom, has said he has 'no patience for climate change deniers' as the experience of the past few days was proof 

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Hundreds of thousands brace for power shutoffs as California fires burn 2m acres

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Altogether, 721,000 people could be affected by these preventive measures, posing significant risks to the physically vulnerable

Hundreds of thousands of Californians are bracing for preventive power shutoffs, as wildfires have burned a record 2m acres across the state and the pandemic keeps many confined to their homes.

The first wave of power shutoffs started late Monday night, with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) cutting power to 172,000 homes and businesses in 22 counties in northern California because of strong winds and dry conditions in the forecast. The utility also planned to shut off power to customers in Kern county, north of Los Angeles, starting Tuesday afternoon.

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Creek fire: hundreds trapped as blazes surround popular California camping spot – video

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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. 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. As of Tuesday morning, the fire was 0% contained

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California fires burn record 2m acres

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Record set early in the season as firefighters battle to contain several wildfires ahead of forecast hot, dry winds

Wildfires have burned more than 2m acres (809,000 hectares) in California this year, setting a state record even as crews battled dozens of growing blazes in sweltering temperatures Monday that strained the electrical grid and threatened power outages for millions.

The previous high was 1.96m acres (793,184 hectares) burned in 2018. the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, began tracking the numbers in 1987.

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Pyrotechnic device at gender-reveal party causes California wildfire – video

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A fire in California that has burned more than 7,000 acres was caused by a 'pyrotechnic device used at a gender reveal party', according to the the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Almost 12,500 firefighters are battling 22 major fires across the state, according to Cal Fire

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California’s record-breaking heatwave sparks wildfires and raises health concerns

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  • Triple-digit temperatures spread over much of the state
  • Heat sparks new wildfires and one hiker dies on trail

California is sweltering under a record-breaking heatwave this holiday weekend, with dangerous conditions that have sparked several new wildfires and raised widespread public health concerns.

Triple-digit temperatures have spread over much of the state, including a record-high of 125F (52C) in Death Valley on Saturday. In southern California, Malibu authorities reported that one hiker died due to heat while on a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains.

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‘It’s a race to get out there’: stir-crazy Californians are overwhelming campsites

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Parks in California are seeing double or even triple the usual number of campers, who can bring trash and unsafe behavior

Chris Giesige thought planning a camping trip would be simple. He’s a regular, often heading out into the wilderness several times per year. But when he recently tried to reserve a campsite online in Yosemite, then Mammoth, then Whiskeytown Lake, he was shocked to see they were all booked for weeks. Twice he thought he’d found an open spot, only to see it get snapped up moments later.

“I know May, June and July are busy camping months, but I don’t remember it being like this,” he says. “I have never had as much trouble before in trying to find a campground.”

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California lawmaker Buffy Wicks brings newborn baby to state assembly floor for vote – video

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California politician Buffy Wicks was forced to bring her newbown baby on the state assembly floor after she was denied a proxy vote. Wicks, who gave birth to a daughter in late July via C-section, had requested to vote by proxy two weeks prior and cited Covid-19 concerns. After her request was denied by the assembly speaker, Anthony Rendon, footage of Wicks nursing her child while speaking about a bill  was shared widely online by prominent political figures including Hillary Clinton

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I saved lives as an incarcerated firefighter. To California, I was just cheap labor

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The state sees us as safe enough to handle emergencies – but it refuses to provide a pathway to work after release

The wildfires burning across California have put a national spotlight on the incarcerated firefighters the state depends on to fight these blazes.

But while state leaders scramble to backfill vacant positions on the firefighting lines, it’s important to remember the backdrop that helped create the crisis in the first place. This is the result of policies that value the preservation of cheap labor over a system that benefits communities and offers incarcerated individuals a path to freedom and a fair shot at employment.

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Wildfires around San Francisco Bay Area grow to larger than Rhode Island – live

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Northern California health officials are telling residents to stay inside, to protect themselves from the poor air quality caused by the wildfire smoke. But for many, that’s not an option.

A vulnerable, essential labor force - the more than 381,000 agriculture workers in California - already disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic keeps working as others flee and take shelter.

The smoke is thick where farm workers were laboring harvesting strawberries in the Salinas area. Thank you @PocketNihilist for sending us this video documenting the hard work in difficult conditions farm workers do so we can have food on our tables. #WeFeedYou pic.twitter.com/O6r0sVcQOO

Related: ‘An impossible choice’: farmworkers pick a paycheck over health despite smoke-filled air

The three wildfires burning around the San Francisco Bay Area have grown to a total size larger than the state of Rhode Island.

Surveying the SCU Lightning Complex -- this is now the third largest wildfire in CA history. pic.twitter.com/MKhVD8u48U

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California wildfires: helicopter rescues firefighters as blaze advances – video

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Dramatic footage shows the moment a helicopter rescued two stranded firefighters from advancing wildfires in California. 'Had it not been for that helicopter, those firefighters would certainly have perished,' the Sonoma county sheriff, Mark Essick, said. Firefighters have been battling blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee across the state since 15 August

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California wildfires: Trump declares major disaster as state braces for worsening conditions

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Donald Trump has issued a major disaster declaration as deteriorating weather conditions threaten to spark new wildfires in California, where firefighters have been battling some of the largest wildfires on record for the past week.

Trump’s declaration will release federal assistance for the state, with governor Gavin Newsom saying it will also help people in counties affected by the fires with crisis counselling, housing and other social services.

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California wildfires torch area bigger than Rhode Island as resources stretched thin

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High temperatures and erratic winds challenge firefighting efforts as the governor calls for backup from other states

Wildfires in California have killed at least six people and forced tens of thousands from their homes, with few signs of reprieve in sight, as firefighting resources strain under the vastness of dozens of infernos raging across the state.

More than 771,000 acres have burned so far, an area greater than the state of Rhode Island, California’s governor Gavin Newsom said at a press conference Friday.

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