Yuma Sun

Powerful California winds fan fires, topple trees and trucks

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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Months-old embers from a deadly California fire were blown back to life Tuesday by powerful winds that raked the state and prompted safety blackouts to tens of thousands of people.

Firefighte­rs chased wind-driven blazes up and down the state, trees and trucks were toppled, Yosemite National Park was forced to close and two coronaviru­s vaccinatio­n centers were shut down.

South of San Francisco, the state’s firefighti­ng agency said it responded to 13 vegetation fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties in 12 hours, and isolated evacuation­s were ordered for a total of 120 homes near two of them.

The fires were small, with the largest no more than a couple dozen acres, and by nightfall were “creeping” rather than racing, according to state fire website descriptio­ns. Two were within the area burned by last year’s CZU Lightning Complex inferno.

“Fires within the CZU Lightning Complex burn area were regenerate­d by high winds,” the local unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection tweeted.

The complex started Aug. 16, 2020, during a barrage of lightning strikes. Separate fires merged, torching 1,500 buildings across 135 square miles in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. One person died.

The Santa Cruz Mountains have a thick layer of “duff,” dead vegetation under heavy timber in which deep smoldering embers can be revived by the wind, said Cecile Juliette, a Cal Fire spokeswoma­n.

Cal Fire received nonstop reports of toppled trees and branches during the windstorm, Juliette said.

Small fires blazed throughout the state, though most were quickly stopped from spreading and posed no serious threat to homes. The largest, near Bakersfiel­d in the San Joaquin Valley, burned about 1 square mile but was mostly surrounded.

In both the north and south, residents were blacked out by utilities to prevent downed or damaged power lines from sparking blazes.

Southern California Edison shut off power to more than 78,000 homes and businesses in seven counties and was considerin­g blacking out well over a quarter-million more. Pacific Gas & Electric cut power to more than 5,000 customers.

Most of California is experienci­ng drought conditions and the remainder is considered abnormally dry. Winter snowfall and rain have largely been woeful.

Gusts howled at speeds up to 95 mph in the Mayacamas Mountains to the north of San Francisco Bay, and winds raised clouds of ash and dust from wildfire burn scars across Monterey County, the regional National Weather Service office said.

High wind warnings were posted in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills.

“People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches,” the Hanford weather office wrote. “If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.”

Yosemite National Park closed for the day, citing the winds and downed trees that smashed trucks and at least one building.

In Southern California, the region’s notorious Santa Ana winds were ramping up, making travel hazardous for big rigs. Some were blown over. One gust hit 86 mph in northern Los Angeles County, the National Weather Service said.

The wind forced closure of a mass COVID-19 vaccinatio­n site at Hansen Dam in the San Fernando Valley. Another site at a Disneyland parking lot was closed in advance of the gusts.

The city of Los Angeles instituted its program of restrictin­g parking in hilly neighborho­ods where narrow, winding streets can be difficult for fire engines to maneuver.

Downtown Los Angeles has had only 1.95 inches of rain since the Oct. 1 start of the “water year,” nearly 4 inches below normal.

 ?? ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? IN THIS AUG. 20, 2020, FILE PHOTO The CZU August Lightning Complex fire consumes trees and a fence along Empire Grade Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains community of Bonny Doon near Santa Cruz, Calif. Months-old embers from a deadly California fire were blown back to life Tuesday by powerful winds that raked the state and prompted safety blackouts to tens of thousands of people.
ASSOCIATED PRESS IN THIS AUG. 20, 2020, FILE PHOTO The CZU August Lightning Complex fire consumes trees and a fence along Empire Grade Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains community of Bonny Doon near Santa Cruz, Calif. Months-old embers from a deadly California fire were blown back to life Tuesday by powerful winds that raked the state and prompted safety blackouts to tens of thousands of people.

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