Wildfires continue to rage in West
Gusty and dry conditions are helping drive fires as the blazes ravage hundreds of homes in Oregon.
SHAVER LAKE, Calif.— Wildfires raged unchecked across parts of the western U.S. on Wednesday amid gusty and dry conditions, but forecasters said some weather relief was in sight that could help firefighters overwhelmed by the blazes.
In California, winds stoked unprecedented numbers of fires that have forced rescues and evacuations. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year. Fires also forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho.
Hundreds of homes were destroyed in Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday, warning: “This could be the greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our state’s history.”
No fatalities from Oregon’s fires had been confirmed, but Brown said some communities were damaged.
The extent of damage was unclear because so many of the fire zones were too dangerous to survey, said Oregon Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple.
“Quite frankly, we are not even able to get into these areas,” she said.
Meanwhile, a temperature plunge of as much as 60 degrees, caused by a dramatic intrusion of polar air, helped slow wildfires in Colorado and Montana.
“The significantly colder air mass is helping reduce critical fire conditions across the West, however most of West coastline and adjacent counties have Red Flag warnings in effect for part of today,” the National Weather Service said. A warning is issued when conditions combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.
Diminishing winds were possible by Thursday, “bringing some relief to the ongoing fires and fire weather threat,” forecasters said.
On Wednesday, a massive cloud of smoke covered much of California, dimming the sun to a neerie orange glow over San Francisco.
About 125 miles to the northeast, winds fanned a huge fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills and forced authorities to order early morning evacuations and warn other residents to be ready to leave.
The area is not far from the town of Paradise, where 85 people were killed by a fire two years ago, and Oroville Dam, where failing spillways forced a massive evacuation in 2017.
On Tuesday, flames over took 14 firefighters who had to deploy last-resort emergency shelters and destroyed a fire station in Los Padres National Forest on California’s central coast. They suffered burns and smoke inhalation, and three were flown to a hospital in Fresno, the U.S. Forest Service said.
Chris Barth, a spokesman on the Dolan Fire, said the three hospitalized firefighters were stabilized, with one in critical and the other two in fair condition.
Helicopters have been used in recent days to rescue hundreds of people stranded in the burning Sierra National Forest, where a fire has destroyed 365 buildings, including at least 45 homes. About 5,000 buildings were threatened, officials said.
In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. People in foothill communities east of Los Angeles were warned to be ready to flee, but the region’s Santa Ana winds were weaker than predicted.
“We’re encouraged that thewind activity appears to be dying down,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “The rest of theweek looks a little more favorable.“