'Devastating Consequences': At Least Six Dead as Wildfires Rage Across California, Pacific Northwest

By John Bacon and Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

10 September 20

 

ildfires driven by strong winds were racing through more than a dozen Western states Thursday, taking lives, incinerating hundreds of homes and scarring a swath of land almost as big as Connecticut.

At least seven people have died as more than 90 major fires burn through 13 Western states.

"Firefighters across the Western states are seeing extreme fire behavior," the National Fire Information Center. Three deaths have been reported in California, three in Oregon and one in Washington state. 

In Northern California's Butte County, Sheriff Kory Honea said at least three people have died, 12 are missing, and hundreds of homes are feared destroyed by the North Complex Fire above San Francisco. Thousands more homes were threatened.

Several people have been critically burned and  20,000 people were under evacuation orders or warnings in Plumas, Yuba and Butte counties. Thick smoke completely blocked sunlight  in some large areas, and distant flames turned the sky orange in others.

“Time and time again we have seen how dangerous wildfires can be. … So I ask that you please, please please be prepared, maintain situational awareness and heed the warnings,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea pleaded.

John Sykes, a 50-year resident, managed to flee with his car and some clothes, but he watched the town burn from about a mile away.

“The school is gone, the fire department’s gone, the bar’s gone, the laundromat’s gone, the general store’s gone,” Sykes told the Sacramento Bee. “I’ll never go back. ... I never want to see California again.”

The fire also threatened Paradise, a town devastated in 2018 by the deadliest blaze in state history. More than 80 residents died and almost 20,000 buildings were destroyed in that fire.

In the Sierra National Forest, authorities say it will likely be at least a week, and possibly as long as a month, before the Creek Fire is controlled enough to permit residents to return. The fire has displaced tens of thousands of Californians, and the Red Cross has already helped more than 600 people with hotel rooms since group shelters are prohibited during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Fire officials have not yet released detailed maps of the fire damage but say at least 60 homes and 278 commercial-residential structures were destroyed. Rocky Alec, 22, and Kristen Kipp, 21, decided to abandon their trailer home near Mammoth.

"You couldn’t really see anything. There was smoke everywhere. We were in too much smoke to see flames," Alec said. “At first we were like it was just another fire. Then it got real.”

In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. But severe Santa Ana winds forecast for the area were weaker than predicted.

The El Dorado Fire, which has burned about 20 square miles in San Bernardino County, was listed as 23% contained Thursday. Almost 1,000 firefighters were "actively engaged in structure protection and successfully defended multiple structures," Cal Fire said.

Homes have been lost, however, and damage assessment teams were working to confirm the extent of the damages, the number of homes and businesses and their locations. Fire officials said the blaze was sparked by a pyrotechnic device used during a "gender reveal" event Saturday.

Winds may die down, but smoke and fire threat will persist 

The strong, gusty winds over the West are expected to weaken on Thursday and into the weekend, the National Weather Service said.

“We’re encouraged that the wind activity appears to be dying down,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “The rest of the week looks a little more favorable.”

However, low humidity and warmer temperatures will be enough for elevated fire concerns to remain, according to the Weather Service. In addition, the rather stagnant air mass will likely keep areas of smoke in place across the Northwest, Great Basin, California and other areas across the West dealing with the wildfires, resulting in continued poor air quality, AccuWeather said. 

Some more substantial relief may be on the way for the Northwest by early next week as a storm system approaches the coast, potentially bringing some welcome rainfall, according to AccuWeather.

Several weeks of fire season remain across a region plagued by high heat and parched terrain. California has already set a record with nearly 2.3 million acres burned this year. Oregon and Washington state also have struggled with historic blazes.

Wind-driven fires were also blazing in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

In Oregon, a series of fires killed three people and forced residents to flee flames, smoke and destruction. Gov. Kate Brown said hundreds of residences have been destroyed. She said emergency responders were "inundated" and urged residents not to call 911 to report smoke or ash clouds.

"This could be the greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our state’s history,” Brown said. 

'Looked like a war zone' along Interstate 5

Fires were burning in seven Oregon counties, and the Almeda Drive Fire in southern Oregon prompted evacuation orders in much of Medford, a city of about 80,000 residents.

Truck driver Troy Wood said he was driving north on the I-5 and saw a path of destruction as he approached Ashland, a few miles southeast of Medford.

"It looked like a ... war zone,” Wood said. “You could see burned out gas stations and buildings on fire.”

In Washington state,  Gov. Jay Inslee placed the blame for the rash of fires squarely on climate change. He promised "steps to defeat" the impact of global warming.

"We are not going to surrender the future of this state to climate change," he said. "We are stronger, smarter and more resilient than that." And I’ll be thinking of these fires and the communities they're impacting when we take our next steps to defeat climate change.