Flames from the Caldor Fire scorch the ground near a home in Grizzly Flats, California
LOS ANGELES, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — California’s fast-moving Caldor Fire has spread so quickly that it burned an area roughly half the size of Chicago in less than a week, forcing thousands to abandon their homes.
An average of more than 10,000 acres was burned per day in El Dorado County since the fire was sparked Saturday Aug 14. The blaze has so far charred more than 73,400 acres and remains 0% contained, according to an update by Cal Fire.
“With historic drought conditions there is heavy dead and down fuels through the fire area,” Cal Fire said. “Northern California remains under fuels and fire behavior advisory.
“The fire had grown 24 times its size from Monday to Wednesday, but its pace slowed Thursday when it swelled by about 5,000 acres.
Many areas in El Dorado County remain under either evacuation orders or warnings. The number of people evacuated jumped to about 23,000 from 16,380 the previous day, according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Evacuations were ordered in Lake County, California, where the Cache Fire burned through 75 acres, according to Cal Fire. Some of those orders were lifted as crews contained the fire by 40%.The fire, about 100 miles northwest of Sacramento, destroyed more than 150 vehicles and 137 structures, of which 81 are outbuildings, local officials said during a news conference.
California’s wildfire season has been devastating this year. The state’s 12 active wildfires swept through more than 1 million acres so far, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.The rapid spread of the fires prompted the US Forest Service to temporarily shutter nine national forests in Northern California from Aug 23 until Sept 6.
“Fires are running very quickly due to the drought conditions, dry fuels, and winds. This makes initial attack and containment very difficult and is even more challenging with strained resources who are battling more than 100 large fires across the country,” Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien said in a news release.
“These temporary closures are necessary to ensure public and firefighter safety, as well as reduce the potential for new fire starts.”
Overall, thousands of firefighters are battling 104 large fires in the US. But there’s a glimmer of hope in some regions.
“With all this bad news, there is great news for the Southwest,” Shackelford noted. “Arizona started the year with 72% of the state in exceptional drought, and this week is down to 5.36%. And New Mexico started the year with 53% of the state in exceptional drought, and now is down to 1.68%!”The states saw improvements as heavy monsoonal rains returned this week, the drought monitor said, bringing cooler temperatures. — NNN-AGENCIES
