USA TODAY International Edition
Mendocino 2nd-largest wildfire in Calif. history
The Mendocino Complex wildfire exploded to become the second-largest blaze in California history, at about 425 square miles. That’s larger than 18 Manhattan Islands and roughly one-third the size of the state of Rhode Island.
The fire has destroyed about 140 structures and threatens thousands more, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). It was only 30 percent contained Monday.
“It is extremely fast, extremely aggressive, extremely dangerous,” Scott McLean, a deputy chief with Cal Fire, told the Los Angeles Times. “Look how big it got, just in a matter of days. … Look how fast this Mendocino Complex went up in ranking. That doesn’t happen. That just doesn’t happen.”
The fire is on pace to become the largest in state history. It’s behind 2017’s Thomas Fire by only a few thousand acres. The Mendocino Complex blaze is actually two fires – the River and Ranch Fires – that grew together to create one gigantic problem.
According to Cal Fire, the Ranch Fire continued to grow in the northern and southeastern directions, “threatening communities in the fire’s path.” Mandatory evacuations were in place for areas in Lake, Colusa and Mendocino Counties.
There are at least 18 fires burning in California and 100 fires burning in the USA, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, which said 28,000 firefighters are battling the fires across the nation.
California’s Carr Fire, which has killed seven people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, is 43 percent contained, Cal Fire said. At 255 square miles burned, it’s the 15th-largest and sixthmost-destructive fire in state history. The blaze has done about $98.3 million in damage to roads, bridges, utilities and other public facilities in Shasta County.
Saturday, the Trump administration declared Shasta County the scene of a major disaster. The declaration opens the door to a variety of assistance programs for the community.
Another wildfire, known as the Ferguson Fire, had burned more than 140 square miles near Yosemite National Park as of Sunday. Two people have died in that fire, which is 38 percent contained, according to the Weather Channel. A portion of the national park, which has been closed since last week, is likely to remain closed indefinitely.
The weather will offer no relief this week as high heat and low relative humidity will plague firefighters each afternoon and evening, AccuWeather said. High temperatures will remain above 100 degrees each day for much of California, except along the coast.