Mendocino Complex Fire scorches over 157000 acres, more homes evacuated
- by Kristina Cox
- in World Media
- — Aug 5, 2018
To the southwest, new evacuations were ordered late Thursday at the Mendocino Complex, where the so-called Ranch and River fires have ravaged a combined 240 square miles (621 square kilometers), destroyed 41 residences and threatened 9,200 homes. In the middle of the month, the Ferguson fire west of Yosemite National Park doubled in size in one night, forcing crews to scramble to set up defenses.
Fanned by erratic winds in fuel-choked, tinder-dry forests and scrub, the California blazes have torched 468,467 acres (189,580 hectares) so far this year, destroyed 1,823 homes and structures, and killed at least eight people.
As of Friday, Caltrans says SR-175 between Hopland and Lakeport is re-opened, after being closed since Sunday by the River Fire.
The Red Flag fire weather warning remains in force in areas of California where early season wildfires have sprung up and are expanding.
"This is a particularly unsafe situation with extremely low humidity and high winds".
Forecasters said areas with the highest threat include the massive blaze near Redding and two fires burning next to each other around Clearlake about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of San Francisco.
The Carr Fire is 39 percent contained, but firefighters are reinforcing fire breaks to prevent strong, erratic winds from causing it to flare up again this weekend.
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He says fire whirls are common, but not at the intensity recorded on July 26.
A fire whirl - similar to a tornado - that occurred in the Carr Fire near Redding on July 26 had maximum winds in excess of 143 miles per hour, according to an initial analysis by the National Weather Service and Calfire.
A firefighter walks around a swimming pool sprayed by phos-chek fire retardant after an air tanker made a pass while fighting a wildfire near Lakeport, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018. The blaze has destroyed more than 1,500 structures, including the homes of three Redding firefighters, according to the GoFundMe site.
The blaze has consumed more than 141,000 acres in Shasta and Trinity counties and as of this morning was only 41 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
Yosemite Valley residents must leave the valley by noon Friday, National Park Service officials said.
His assistant had gone to get a new hydraulic hose.
However, some days-old evacuations were lifted Friday in an area near Redding, where armies of firefighters and fleets of aircraft have been battling an enormous blaze about 100 miles south of the OR line. The report called for better "risk assessment" among firefighters.
