LOWER LAKE, Calif. — Blazes raging in forests and woodlands across California have taken the life of a firefighter and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes as crews continue to battle the flames from the air and the ground.
Twenty-three large fires, many sparked by lightning strikes, were burning across Northern California on Saturday, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Some 9,000 firefighters were working to subdue them, something made incredibly difficult by several years of drought that have dried out California.
“The conditions and fire behavior we’re seeing at 10 in the morning is typically what we’d see in late afternoon in late August and September,” said Nick Schuler, a division chief with Cal Fire. “But because of the dry conditions, because of the drought-stricken vegetation accompanied by the steep terrain and winds, we’re seeing fire activity that’s abnormal for this time of year.”
The fires prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for California and activate the California National Guard to help with disaster recovery.
Berlant said firefighters were hoping cooler weather might help them this weekend, but there was also the threat that lingering thunderstorms could bring more lightning strikes like those that ignited several of the fires.
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. — Wildfires blackened the golden hills of California on Friday, egged on by bone-dry vegetation, triple-digit temperatures and gusting winds.
Flames consumed a handful of homes and chased hundreds of people from their houses, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for all of California on Friday.
Eighteen large fires are burning, mostly in the scorched northern half of the state, and California’s incessant drought is making matters worse.
“They only need a little wind to allow them to burn at an explosive rate,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection.
Crews hope for cooler weather this weekend but fear dry thunderstorms will bring more lightening, which has already sparked dozens of small fires, many along the Mendocino Coast.
Brown said the declaration would help speed up help for thousands of firefighters working to corral the blazes. As part of the order, he activated the California National Guard to help with disaster recovery.
Burning hills
A fast-spreading wildfire north of San Francisco has torched a third home and is threatening more than 450 structures.
At least 650 residents have been evacuated from their homes as the blaze raged in hills covered in dense brush and oak trees and dotted with ranch homes. It has charred 23 square miles near Lower Lake, south of Clear Lake, a popular summer recreation spot.
It was only 5 percent contained Friday.
Resident Julie Flannery said she saw the fire behind her house, so she gathered some valuables and sought a safer place, leaving behind two horses and a mule.
Returning Friday, the animals were gone and the stable doors open, and Flannery said she believes fire crews removed them.
“The rest of this is just material stuff,” she said. “The animals and the family is the most important.”
Fire lines holding
Crews battling a fire east of Napa Valley held their ground Friday, more than a week after it started.
The blaze has charred more than 12 square miles in Solano County. The fire is about 45 miles east of Napa’s wine county, and vineyards are not threatened.
At least 136 structures are threatened, but evacuation orders have been lifted. It mostly contained, and crews are expecting to have it fully corralled by Monday.
Foothills fires
A woman was arrested in connection with a small fire near Groveland, a stop-off point for travelers headed to Yosemite National Park.
The 200-acre fire, about 20 miles from the park’s entrance, was partially contained Friday. About two dozen homes are threatened and voluntary evacuations are in place.
Lisa Ann Vilmur was arrested Thursday night for recklessly causing a fire and jailed on $100,000 bail. It was not known Friday if she has an attorney.
In a separate foothills blaze northeast of Sacramento, evacuation orders have been lifted for residents of 50 homes. The fire, which ignited Saturday, burned through more than 3?½ square miles and is almost fully contained.
Bass Lake blaze
Residents of 200 homes in the central California community of Cascadel Woods were ordered to evacuate Thursday.
A wildfire burning near Bass Lake for several days spread to more than 6 square miles and is partially contained.
Authorities said a boy acknowledged starting the fire by playing with a lighter to burn pine needles in the dry Sierra Nevada. They said the boy faces criminal charges but is not in custody because he and his family are cooperating.
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