As weather conditions improve, firefighters continue to gain ground on the many wildfires that began about three weeks ago. Today, more than 14,800 firefighters remain on the line of 28 major wildfires burning across California. Although 24 new fires were sparked Thursday, crews contained most of them quickly. Managing editor Tami Roleff has more information about the California wildfires…
Since the beginning of the year, wildfires have burned over 3.1 million acres in California. This year’s acres burned is 26 times higher than the acres burned in 2019 for the same time period, and the combined number of acres burned is larger than the state of Connecticut. There have been 19 fatalities and over 3,900 structures destroyed. The increase in the number of fatalities includes seven additional fatalities that were confirmed yesterday on the North Complex Fire in Butte County. The August Complex Fire increased significantly in acreage due to the merging of the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, and Vinegar fires.
San Bernardino County firefighters continue to battle the aggressive El Dorado Fire, which threatens homes and property along Highway 38. Three County firefighters have been injured battling fire and winds.
The smoke layer covering much Northern California will help maintain cooler temperatures into the weekend, and an onshore flow next week will help increase humidity. In Southern California, desert regions will remain dry and warm, with the mountains and coastal regions experiencing an onshore flow that is helping with humidity recovery and seasonal temperatures.
Even with cooler weather coming soon, California historically experiences some of the most devastating wildfires in the months of September and October. Do not let your guard down! To learn more ways to prevent sparking a wildfire visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
