Firefighters in Stalemate Against California Blazes

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

SAN FRANCISCO — Firefighters in Northern California battled more than a thousand wildfires to a stalemate by yesterday, but forecasters said dangerous conditions would not relent anytime soon.

No new major fires had broken out by yesterday morning as fire crews inched closer to getting some of the largest blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services.

But a “red flag warning” — meaning the most extreme fire danger — was still in effect for Northern California until 5 a.m. this morning. And the coming days and months are expected to bring little relief.

Forecasters predicted more thunderstorms and dry lightning through the weekend, similar to the ones that ignited hundreds of fires a week ago. Meanwhile, a U.S. Forest Service report said the weather would get even drier and hotter as fire season headed toward its traditional peak in late July and August.

Lower-than-average rainfall and record levels of parched vegetation likely mean a long, fiery summer throughout Northern California, according to the Forest Service’s state fire outlook released last week.

The fires burning now could take weeks or months to bring under full control, the report said.

Those blazes were mostly sparked by lightning storms that were unusually intense for so early in the season. But summer storms would probably be even fiercer, according to the Forest Service.

“Our most widespread and/or critical lightning events often occur in late July or August, and we have no reason to deviate from that,” the agency’s report said.

The blazes have scorched more than 550 square miles and destroyed more than 50 buildings, a state emergency services spokesman, Gregory Renick, said.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use