Thousands evacuate as wildfire rapidly spreads in Southern California
The Canyon Fire ignited early Thursday afternoon and by Friday it had expanded to about 4,850 acres, according to The New York Times.
According to CNN, Thursday was the hottest day of the year for much of the area with temperatures reaching 100 degrees and higher. Dry winds have also contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
Because of the fire, over 2,700 people have been asked to evacuate and 14,000 more have received evacuation warnings, according to BBC. Most of the evacuations have taken place in Los Angeles County but there have also been evacuation orders in Ventura County.
As of Friday, the fire has been partially contained and 25% of the perimeter is under control.
On Thursday the fire destroyed at least two structures.
The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir near the Los Padres National Forest about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, per BBC.
The Gifford Fire nears 'megafire' status
The Canyon Fire is not the only major fire currently burning in California and a massive fire is currently blazing through the central part of the state.
The Gifford fire is the state's largest wildfire of the year and as of Thursday evening had burned over 99,000 acres. The fire will reach 'megafire' status if it grows to 100,000 acres, per The Weather Channel.
This blaze grew out of at least four smaller fires last week along State Route 166 and is burning in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. As of Thursday evening it was 15% contained, according to The New York Times.
There have also been evacuation orders from the Gifford Fire and over 800 structures remain threatened by the blaze. According to The Weather Channel, there are over 2,200 personnel working to fight the fire.
According to NBC Los Angeles, there have been over 4,400 wildfires reported in California this year burning a total of 221,100 acres.
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Slash Your AC Costs During Summer Heat Waves by Setting Your Thermostat to the Right Temperature
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Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Brutal heat plagues parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East
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Follow a pattern instead, using this technique: Start on the edge of your lawn with the discharge chute pointing toward your lawn Mow around the perimeter of your lawn When you get to your starting point, make a U-turn so the discharge chute is facing the strip you just cut Keep mowing around the perimeter, making sure the discharge chute is pointed toward where you just mowed. In the end, your lawn will end up with a nice pattern and the discharge chute won't clog. How to Prep Your Lawn Mower for the Season How to Prep Your Lawn Mower for the Season Click to unmute Video Player is loading. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Next playlist item Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 2:58 Loaded : 3.40% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 2:58 Share Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. How to Prep Your Lawn Mower for the Season 5. Prep your mower for the next round Regular maintenance on your mower is important to ensure it is reliable and does a great job each and every time you take it out. Spending a little time after you finish mowing will keep your mower in tip-top shape and lasting longer. Start by turning the mower over and rinsing the blades and discharge chute with a garden hose before putting it away. This will prevent grass from building up, drying out and being much harder to remove. If the air filter on your push mower looks dirty, give it a good wash with some mild dish soap and rinse it with the garden hose. Set the filter aside to dry so you can put it on right before mowing next time. One of the best time savers is keeping your lawn mower blade sharp. A dull blade will require you to go over the same patch of lawn more than once to cut any raggedy bits left behind. A sharp blade allows you to zip around your lawn just once and still get great results. Most mower repair shops will sharpen the blades for a small fee, or you can do it yourself with these tips. FAQs to help you get the best-looking lawn What order should I mow my lawn? It's best to start mowing around the edges of your lawn, with the grass clippings going into your uncut grass. After cutting around the entire perimeter of your yard, turn back around and mow in the opposite direction, with the grass chute pointing toward the perimeter grass you already cut. Continue this mowing direction until complete. Want to make watering your lawn easier? Here's CNET's guide to making your own automated lawn watering system.
