By Andrew Theen
Fire crews (click here) continue to make progress fighting Oregon’s largest wildfires nearly a month after strong winds over Labor Day helped fuel blazes, many of which were already burning, across the state.
More than one million acres of forestland have burned so far this year in what has been one of the most destructive fire seasons in recent history....
A Cal Fire truck moves along St. Helena Highway, past vineyards, toward the Glass Fire near St. Helena on Saturday.
Deadly wildfires in California (click here) have burned more than 4 million acres this year — more than double the previous record for the most land burned in a single year in the state. California fire officials said the state hit the astonishing milestone Sunday with about two months remaining in the fire season. The previous record was set two years ago when wildfires destroyed 1.67 million acres (2,609 square miles).
"The 4 million mark is unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away," said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire....
October 4, 2020
By Elliot Almond
Fire crews (click here) worked through another hot, dry day in northern Napa County as they continued to try to stop the stubborn Glass Fire, which forced new evacuation orders in California’s Wine Country and helped set a staggering record, with more than 4 million acres burned so far.
“I thought 2018 was horrendous,” CalFire deputy chief Scott McLean said Sunday. “There are really no words to describe it.”
Two years ago, the state saw a then-record 1.67 million acres burn. This year, California passed the 4-million acre milestone — an area larger than the state of Rhode Island — with almost two months left in its fire season.
So far, 63,885 acres have burned in Napa and Sonoma counties due to the Glass Fire, destroying homes and vineyards north of Calistoga and east of St. Helena. As of Sunday morning, the fire was 17 percent contained, CalFire reported....
