Firefighters were battling fast-spreading wildfires in California's wine country and central Oregon on Aug. 24 as hot, dry weather over the weekend increased the risk of wildfires across the western United States.
A sweltering heat wave lingering across the West has prompted extreme heat warnings and watches for portions of the Desert Southwest, California, Washington, and Oregon. Several high-temperature records were broken in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington recently, and heat warnings and advisories are expected to remain in place through Aug. 26.
The high temperatures combined with dry winds and low humidity have fueled conditions for growth on existing fires and new fires, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Multiple wildfires have already erupted in parts of the West, including in Oregon and California's Napa County, an area north of San Francisco known for its wineries and hillside vineyards.
"Hot, dry, and unstable weather continues across much of the West, with very low humidity and thunderstorms that could bring both lightning and gusty winds," the National Interagency Fire Center said in an Aug. 24 news release. "These conditions mean that any spark, whether from people or nature, has the potential to grow quickly."
The Pickett Fire broke out on Aug. 21 near Calistoga in Napa County, consuming several acres at around 3:30 p.m. local time before growing to over a thousand acres nearly two hours later, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). By the afternoon of Aug. 24, the blaze had grown to more than 6,800 acres and was 11% contained.
The Flat Fire in Oregon, now the largest active wildfire in the state this year, started on Aug. 21 and grew rapidly on dry, hot, and windy conditions. On Aug. 24, the fire — located two miles northeast of Sisters, a small central Oregon town — reached an estimated 21,971 acres and remained uncontained, according to the Central Oregon Fire Information.
The causes of the two fires were under investigation, Cal Fire and the Central Oregon Fire Information said.
What to know: Swaths of US bracing for 'monsoonal' flooding from thunderstorms
Pickett Fire
The Pickett Fire had ignited in rugged terrain on the northern outskirts of Calistoga, a small town in Napa Valley, before spreading within the same area that the Glass Fire had scorched in 2020. The Glass Fire, which was a much larger blaze, had burned alongside several other blazes that devastated the wine country region that year.
In an update on Aug. 24, Cal Fire said the Pickett Fire grew by 1,841 acres on Aug. 23 with "much of the activity observed on the eastern edge of the fire." The agency added that fire activity had been moderate overnight as five night-flying helicopters supported fire engines, dozers, and hand crews on the ground.
Cal Fire said more than 1,200 personnel, as well as multiple helicopters for targeted water drops and air tankers for fire retardant, were assigned to the Pickett Fire. Fire crews also completed an operation in an area near the fire, eliminating unburned fuels between control lines and the main fire, according to the agency.
Damage assessments are ongoing, and Cal Fire said there are no reports of damaged or destroyed structures in the area. The Press Democrat, a local newspaper for Sonoma and Napa counties, reported on Aug. 24 that about 190 people are under evacuation orders and 360 others are under evacuation warnings.
"With the fire burning near communities, structure protection remains a high priority," according to Cal Fire. "Firefighters will be actively engaged in protecting homes and other structures, particularly in areas like Aetna Springs Road and Butts Canyon Road, where the fire has been active."
Cal Fire noted that firefighting efforts will continue to be challenged by hot and dry conditions that were forecast for the next few days. Crews were focusing on "constructing direct and contingency control lines while mopping up inside existing contained fire lines" for Aug. 24, the agency said.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended an air quality advisory through Aug. 25 due to smoke from the Pickett Fire. Wildfire smoke is expected to impact Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties.
US wildfire, smoke map: Track latest wildfires, red flag warnings across the US
Flat Fire
Firefighters have been fighting the Flat Fire "around the clock" since the afternoon of Aug. 21, according to the Central Oregon Fire Information. More than 800 personnel have been assigned to the fire.
"Overnight, firefighters continued to aggressively fight the 21,971-acre Flat Fire," the agency said in an Aug. 24 update. "Night shift crews were able to establish initial dozer and hand lines around portions of the fire. Notably, crews established initial lines along the southern head of the fire and made additional progress along portions of the north and west perimeter of the fire."
Eric Perkins, an Oregon Department of Forestry operations section chief, said fire crews were facing difficult terrain along with a red-flag warning on Aug. 24.
The red flag warning was issued for the fire from Aug. 24 to Aug. 25, meaning that the blaze could grow over the coming days. The region was forecast to see hot conditions, including low relative humidities, an unstable air mass, and temperatures reaching triple digits, according to the Central Oregon Fire Information.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a conflagration, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal has multiple teams working to protect homes in the potential path of the fire. Evacuation orders and warnings were in place for both Deschutes and Jefferson counties, and were extended to just outside Sisters and along Highway 126 on Aug. 24.
At least 3,938 homes are threatened by the fire, according to an Aug. 24 update on social media. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said about 1,000 homes are in Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation orders, and four main closures for roads in the area were in place due to the fire.
9333680002
Fire danger advisories are in effect for several U.S. states
As of Aug. 24, at least 50 uncontained large fires were burning across the country, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The agency noted that nearly 1 million acres in the United States have already burned this year.
The agency said fuels and fire danger advisories were in effect for several western states. The National Interagency Fire Center urged the public to follow local fire restrictions amid the dangerous heat wave.
"Hot, dry, and unstable conditions prevail along much of the West Coast near and west of the Cascades and Sierra, and across the Pacific Northwest and western Montana, with temperatures 10-20°F above normal," the National Interagency Fire Center said.
Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; Zach Urness, Salem Statesman Journal; Paris Barraza, Palm Springs Desert Sun
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California and Oregon wildfires grow amid sweltering heat wave
Comments