Calif. fire kills 1 as heat stokes blazes
HORNBROOK, Calif. — A wildfire raging through drought-stricken timber and brush near California’s border with Oregon killed one person and destroyed multiple structures as it burns largely out of control, authorities said Friday.
No other details were released about the death blamed on the fire that threatened 300 homes near Hornbook, a town of 250 people about 14 miles (22 kilometers) south of the Oregon border. It’s not clear the flames burned homes or other structures like barns.
It was one of dozens of fires across the dry American West, fueled by rising temperatures and gusty winds that were expected to last through the weekend. Heat spreading from Southern California into parts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah threatened to worsen flames that have forced thousands of people to evacuate and destroyed hundreds of homes across the West.
On the California-Oregon border, the fire ignited Thursday and moved swiftly through the region that is home to many retirees, said Ray Haupt, chairman of the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors.
“It moved so fast I’m not sure how much time lagged between the evacuation and when it hit Hornbrook,” he said. “It hit there pretty quick. We know we’ve lost homes and lots of structures, including livestock and horses as well.”
California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency, citing “extreme peril” to people and property.
Farther north in Oregon, authorities urged hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts to avoid forests near the state line. Although the flames have not crossed into Oregon, officials are concerned people in remote areas can’t be reached in case they need to quickly evacuate.
The areas of concern include the Pacific Crest Trail, Mount Ashland and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Fire danger could prohibit rescuers from looking for anyone, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Elsewhere in California, a massive blaze northwest of Sacramento had destroyed nine homes, officials said. Firefighters had begun inspecting the fire zone, which covers an area nearly three times the size of San Francisco.
The fire, spanning 140 square miles (360 square kilometers), was partially contained, but crews struggled in steep, rugged terrain. With the weather getting hotter and drier, and officials said the fire could grow.
In San Diego County, a fast-moving wildfire burned a handful of homes.
Video from news helicopters showed fire crews running along Interstate 8 in Alpine and trying to quell the flames that were spreading along the side of the freeway as a handful of homes were completely engulfed in flames.
San Diego Gas and Electric says nearly 1,700 customers are without power after the fire damaged the electric system.
PHUKET, Thailand — Thai authorities on Friday evening suspended the search for missing tourists who were on a boat that sank during a storm off the southern resort island of Phuket, as the death toll rose to 33, all of them Chinese nationals.
The search for another 23 people still missing will resume at 5 a.m. Saturday, said Prapan Khanprasang, chief of the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office.
The accident appeared to be Thai tourism’s biggest disaster in years, and drew sharp attention from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok. Visitors to Thailand from China totaled more than 9.8 million people in 2017, constituting the largest share by country of a record 35.38 million foreign tourists in all.
The death toll jumped after the navy sent divers to enter the wreck of the tour boat, which capsized and sank Thursday evening when it was hit by 5-meter (16-foot) -high waves. It was carrying 105 people, including 93 tourists, 11 crew and one tour guide. At least 12 of the injured were hospitalized.
Evacuation delayed for schoolboys trapped in cave
MAE SAI, Thailand — Authorities in Thailand said Friday they will not immediately attempt an underwater evacuation of 12 schoolboys who have been trapped in a cave for almost two weeks because they have not learned adequate diving skills in the short time since searchers reached the area where they are sheltering.
However, the official in immediate charge of the operation, Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, indicated at a news conference that if heavy rains started and appeared to be causing flooded areas in the cave to rise again, divers would try to take the boys out right away.
Thai officials had been suggesting in public statements that a quick underwater evacuation of the boys and their soccer coach was needed because of the possibility that access to the cave could soon close again due to seasonal monsoon rains expected this weekend.
Earlier efforts to pump out water from the cave have been set back every time there has been a heavy rain.
Nude man goes for a stroll in Burlington
BURLINGTON, Vt. — A man has decided to take a stroll in the buff through a Vermont downtown on a simmering day.
The Burlington Free Press reports the man wearing nothing but a hat, sneakers and a lime green tote bag walked around Burlington on Thursday afternoon.
When asked why he decided to go outdoors underdressed, the man said, “It’s very hot.” He declined to identify himself.
Vermont was under a heat advisory that day, with the National Weather Service predicting a heat index of 102 degrees.