Flames overtake California fire crew, injuring several
Three flown to hospital; one in critical condition
SHAVER LAKE, Calif. — More than a dozen California firefighters trying to protect a fire station were overrun by a blaze Tuesday, and several were hurt. Elsewhere, military helicopters rescued more than 150 people from the burning wilderness.
Fourteen firefighters deployed emergency shelters as flames overtook them and destroyed the Nacimiento Station in Los Padres National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service said. They suffered burns and smoke inhalation; three were flown to a hospital in Fresno, where one was in critical condition.
The injuries came as more than two dozen major fires chewed through bonedry California after a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200.
Rescue choppers pulled another 164 people from the Sierra National Forest through the morning and were working to rescue 17 others, said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“It’s where training meets the moment, but it always takes the courage, the conviction and the grit of real people doing real work,” said Newsom.
California has already seen a record nearly 2.3 million acres burned this year and the worst part of the wildfire season is just beginning.
The previous record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest wildfire in state history, which was started by power lines and swept through the community of Paradise, killing 85 people.
That 2018 blaze forced the state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, to seek bankruptcy protection and guard against new disasters by cutting off power preemptively when fire conditions are exceptionally dangerous.
With high, dry winds expected until Wednesday, the utility cut power to 172,000 customers over the weekend and more outages were expected in Northern California.
More than 14,000 firefighters are battling fires statewide, with two of the three largest blazes in state history burning in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California was not alone: Hurricaneforce winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in eastern Washington.
In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties as the forecast calls for the arrival of the region’s notorious Santa Ana winds. The U.S. Forest Service on Monday decided to close all national forests in the region and shut campgrounds statewide.