CALIFORNIA CLOSING IN ON 4M ACRES BURNED
California is poised to hit a fearsome milestone: 4 million acres burned this year by wildfires that have killed 31 people and incinerated hundreds of homes in what is already the worst fire season on record.
Flames have scorched an area larger than Connecticut. Fire crews at a blaze in the wine country north of San Francisco were on high alert Friday as forecasters warned of extreme fire danger into today.
Powerful winds didn’t materialize early Friday, allowing fire crews a chance to make gains. But winds up to 30 mph were forecast to push through the hills of Napa and
Sonoma counties as the Glass fire, which exploded in size earlier in the week, threatens more than 28,000 homes and other buildings.
“So far we have not seen the velocity of the winds that we were expecting,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mark Brunton said. “But there will be gusts and we do have hot embers and it won’t take much to take that and blow it into a very dry receptive fuel bed. That gives us cause for concern.”
Winds were blowing at higher elevations on the western side of the f ire. Crews expected a long battle to keep flames from jumping containment lines and to prevent spot fires from leaping ahead to spark new blazes.
More crews and equipment were deployed in and around Calistoga, a town of 5,000 people known for hot springs, mud baths and wineries in the hills of Napa County about 70 miles north of San Francisco.
The Glass f ire is the fourth major blaze in the region in three years and comes ahead of the third anniversary of an Oct. 8, 2017, wildfire that killed 22 people.
Around the state, 17,000 firefighters were battling nearly two dozen major blazes. Virtually all the damage has occurred since mid
August, when five of the six largest fires in state history erupted. Lightning strikes caused some of the most devastating blazes.
Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox said wildfires have scorched 3.9 million acres in California since Aug. 15. That figure works out to more than 6,000 square miles.
“We’re at a historic moment where we are going to cross the 4 million acres burned mark in California this year,” Cox said. “And unfortunately, we’re just getting into some of the most critical fire months in California.”