ST. HELENA — California firefighters battled destructive new wildfires in wine country north of San Francisco Monday as strong winds fanned flames in the already badly scorched state. The new fires erupted Sunday in the famed Napa-Sonoma wine region and in far Northern California’s Shasta County, forcing hasty evacuations of...
Smoky Conditions Remain Over Foothills. Could Soon Return to Valley Floor.
The National Weather Service Hanford office computer models have shown stagnant smoky air hovering over the areas of the Creek Fire and the SQF Complex fire in Tulare county for several weeks. The valley will likely be impacted this weekend. "We will see a wind shift late this weekend from...
Ecologist Says the USFS Needs To Get Out of the Way in Wake of Massive Fires
After nearly three weeks the Creek Fire continues to burn and is now the largest single wildfire in recorded California history at 291,426 Acres according to CAL FIRE. The USFS is still estimating full containment won't be reached until October 15th. Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler says he knows why the...
Will Creek Fire Make Home Insurance Even Harder to Get in ‘High Risk’ Areas?
The latest totals from CAL Fire show 855 structures destroyed (identified as residential, commercial and "other"), and another 71 structures damaged by the Creek Fire. Five of the 20 largest wildfires in California history have occurred in 2020, with the Creek Fire now confirmed as the single biggest in terms...
‘Nothing Left in the Bucket’: Wildfire Resources Run Thin
Justin Silvera came off the fire lines in Northern California after a grueling 36 straight days battling wildfires and evacuating residents ahead of the flames. Before that, he and his crew had worked for 20 days, followed by a three-day break. Silvera, a 43-year-old battalion chief with Cal Fire, California’s...
Wednesday’s Creek Fire Update: 220,025 Acres, 18% Containment, 650 Structures Destroyed
Additional firefighters have joined the effort to bring the 220,025-acre Creek Fire under control and snuff the threat to communities in Fresno and Madera counties. On Tuesday night, incident leaders reported that 2,878 personnel are now assigned to the Creek Fire. That's an increase of 253. Containment also improved from...
Tuesday’s Creek Fire Updates: 16% Containment, 555 Structures Destroyed, Huntington ‘Fire Tornado’ 1,400 Degrees
The Creek Fire continues as a threat to some foothill communities, but firefighters increased containment on Monday, Cal Fire officials said. The blaze that began Friday, Sept. 4, grew by about 18,000 acres to 220,025 acres on Tuesday morning as warm, dry conditions contributed to fire activity. During Monday night's...
Creek Fire: Some Fresno & Madera County Residents Allowed to Return, Check Interactive Map
Some residents in Fresno and Madera counties can return to areas within the Creek Fire zone downgraded from mandatory evacuation orders on Monday. To view the evacuation map, click HEREÂ to search by address. Fresno County In Fresno County, people can re-enter the following areas: Zone F5L: The south boundary is...
Monday’s Creek Fire Updates: Nearly 202,000 Acres Burned, 10% Containment, ‘Fire Tornado’ Torched Huntington Lake
Heavy smoke from the Castle Fire in Tulare County drifted over the Creek Fire on Sunday, aiding firefighters in their efforts to get the upper hand on the now 201,908-acre blaze. In addition, Cal Fire officials said that the damage assessment for the wildfire is 36% complete. The latest report...
Sierra Logger Piled up Dead Trees To ‘Show’ Forest Service Severity of Problem
The U.S. Forest Service estimated in early 2018 that more than 147 million trees had died across 9.7 million acres of federal, state, local, and private lands in California during the drought. In the previous two years, federal, state, and local partners had felled 1.5 million dead trees, primarily those...