A Northern California blaze more than doubled in size overnight despite an increase in humidity and cooler temperatures.
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The fire was burning in the Lower Lake area, about 100 miles north of San Francisco and 10 miles from Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake entirely within California and a popular spot for boaters and campers.
For the first time, the U.S. Forest Service says more than half its budget is being spent to prepare for and fight wildfires. No homes have been destroyed or injuries reported Monday.
Eleven structures have been destroyed in the Arizona fire, Garcia said.
The firefighter, whose name was not released, was killed Saturday fighting the Sierra fire near Lake Tahoe when a tree fell on him, officials said. At the time, the crew is at Fork Complex, the site of five major fires in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It is close in proximity to where the Rocky Fire has been burning for more than a week.
As of Monday morning, the fire has exploded to 5,000 acres.
Most operators who flew near wildfires were probably unaware of the dangers, McNeal said.
View of the Willow Fire.
Wildfires are charging through several states in the parched West, scorching homes and forcing people to flee.
The U.S. Forest Service, whose mission is to manage the nation’s forests, now spends the majority of its money trying to keep them from burning down. Wildfires present a costly disaster for prudent forest management, for wildlife and for habitat.
Michael Hallenbeck, 21, of Shingle Springs, California, was hit Saturday during the initial attack on a fire that broke out south of the Echo Summit mountain pass.
The BC Wildfire Service is urging the public to respect the access restrictions, after having to escort several groups of people out of the restricted area over the past week.
The crew arrived last week as another team from Australia prepared to wrap up work in B.C. and about 100 firefighting personnel from Ontario have also returned home. More than 5.08 million acres – or 7,940 square miles – have burned this year.
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– This summer’s fire season has officially become the second biggest on record in Alaska.
