Latest news with #EssentialCalifornia
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crews battle fire burning in Pala, evacuations underway in northern San Diego County
Firefighters are battling a brush fire that erupted in steep hillside terrain in Pala Friday evening, prompting evacuations in northern San Diego County, authorities said. The blaze, dubbed the Henderson fire, broke out near Henderson Road and Pala Mission Road about 5:45 p.m. and charred 183 acres in two hours, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Evacuation orders have been issued for surrounding hillside communities where many members of the Pala Band of Mission Indians live, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation warnings are also in effect for areas of Riverside County just north of the San Diego County line. A temporary evacuation location was set up in the Pala Casino parking lot. "It's burning in a grass and brush area that starts going into rolling hills and very mountainous terrain," Cal Fire Capt. Thomas Shoots told the San Diego Union Tribune. 'Fire runs much faster uphill, and the goal is to keep it out of the hillsides." Shoots told the outlet the initial response to the blaze included aircraft and more than 100 firefighters. The blaze was 5% contained as of 8:45 p.m. with the majority of activity coming from the eastern flank, according to Cal Fire. Road closures are in effect along Henderson Road, Pala Mission Road, State Route 76 and Magee Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Saturday's weather could pose challenges to crews' efforts to contain the blaze. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 91 degrees and wind gusts up to 25 mph in the area. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crews battle fire burning in Pala, evacuations underway in northern San Diego County
Firefighters are battling a brush fire that erupted in steep hillside terrain in Pala Friday evening, prompting evacuations in northern San Diego County, authorities said. The blaze, dubbed the Henderson fire, broke out near Henderson Road and Pala Mission Road about 5:45 p.m. and charred 183 acres in two hours, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Evacuation orders have been issued for surrounding hillside communities where many members of the Pala Band of Mission Indians live, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation warnings are also in effect for areas of Riverside County just north of the San Diego County line. A temporary evacuation location was set up in the Pala Casino parking lot. "It's burning in a grass and brush area that starts going into rolling hills and very mountainous terrain," Cal Fire Capt. Thomas Shoots told the San Diego Union Tribune. 'Fire runs much faster uphill, and the goal is to keep it out of the hillsides." Shoots told the outlet the initial response to the blaze included aircraft and more than 100 firefighters. The blaze was 5% contained as of 8:45 p.m. with the majority of activity coming from the eastern flank, according to Cal Fire. Road closures are in effect along Henderson Road, Pala Mission Road, State Route 76 and Magee Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Saturday's weather could pose challenges to crews' efforts to contain the blaze. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 91 degrees and wind gusts up to 25 mph in the area. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hiker suspended 150 feet from a helicopter after plummeting into a waterfall in Northern California
A hiker who fell 30 feet down a waterfall and into a pool in Butte County had to be harnessed to the end of a 150-foot rope and pulled out by a helicopter over the Memorial Day weekend, according to authorities. The hiker, who was not identified by authorities, suffered serious injuries and could not be reach by ambulance in time, rescuers said. The man was hiking with friends near Feather River Canyon and Camp Creek Falls — near the site of the 2018 Camp fire — when he tried to take a photo of the waterfall and slipped, according to authorities. The hiker fell onto the granite rocks and over the edge of the waterfall, down a 30-foot drop into the pool below, according to Kevin Soukup, a spokesperson for Butte County Sheriff's Search and Rescue. The rescue team responded to the incident in Pulga and when they saw he had sustained serious injuries, decided to rely on a helicopter for the rescue. The injured man, who was conscious at the time, was put into a harness and flown while attached to the helicopter with the 150-foot rope, Soukup said. The man was flown to a landing zone near Cresta Power House and transferred to Enloe FlightCare for further medical care. The entire helicopter trip took between 30 seconds and a minute. Read more:This cliffhanger video from Riverside County has a happy ending "This is the riskiest type of rescue that you do," Soukup said. "Just by nature, helicopters are dangerous. Anytime someone suffers a traumatic injury, you look at the risk and reward and getting them out as quickly as possible via the helicopter was the right decision to make." The road getting out of the area is about three miles and an ambulance wouldn't have made it in time, Soukup said. Anytime there is a traumatic injury, if the journey is more than a 30-minute drive, you have to fly them there, he said. The rescue was a joint operation with Cal Fire and Butte County Fire. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Wildfire threatens Joshua trees in area considered a 'last refuge' for the species
A fire ignited in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park on Friday afternoon and burned 165 acres in a region that experts say is critical to the species' future in a warming climate. Meg Rockwell, a spokesperson for the national park, said it wasn't immediately clear if any Joshua trees in the area had burned, but she said there are major concerns about the possibility of damage to the trees. "This area is important for the long-term survival of the Joshua trees," Rockwell said. "It's that last refuge." San Bernardino County Fire officials said no structures are threatened. Read more: World's oldest trees threatened by Silver fire in Inyo County. Crews halt spread of blaze The Covington Flats region—located in a northwestern section of the park—is known as a "climate refugia" sitting at a slightly higher elevation, which brings cooler temperatures and more rainfall. These slight differences could be enough, experts say, to to allow Joshua trees to continue to survive and reproduce even under a hotter, drier climate that is expected in the coming decades. The iconic trees are not adapted to wildfire, meaning any fire damage can be devastating to the population. The Eureka fire was reported around noon Friday and had no containment as of 2:30 p.m. The park reported temperatures Friday around 85 degrees with wind gusts up to about 20 mph in the area. Rockwell said additional fire crews from the Bureau of Land Management and San Bernardino County had been called in to assist with the firefight. Read more: How large fires are altering the face of California's Mojave Desert The Joshua tree is cherished for its distinctive silhouette and singular role as a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. Yet the iconic succulent is losing suitable habitat at a brisk clip due to climate change, worsening wildfires and development, scientists and environmental advocates say. While the Joshua tree is currently ubiquitous, climate models show there won't be much suitable habitat left by the end of the century. That's why protecting areas like Covington Flats is so important, Rockwell said. But, experts have also found that many of these cooler, higher-elevation areas — that are more hospitable for Joshua trees — are also susceptible to wildfires because they tend to have denser vegetation. Two large wildfires have killed an estimated 1.8 million Joshua trees in and around the Mojave National Preserve since 2020. Staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
California state senator accused of DUI cleared after blood test shows no signs of drugs or alcohol
A California state senator who Sacramento police accused of driving drunk after a car crash will not face criminal charges after lab results showed there were no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system, prosecutors announced Friday. Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) was cited on suspicion of DUI after police interviewed her at a Sacramento hospital, where she was being treated after a car crash near the Capitol on May 19. At the hospital, Sacramento police questioned the state senator for hours and concluded she showed signs of intoxication and cited her. But in a statement, prosecutors said they reviewed all of the evidence, police reports, witness statements and laboratory results presented by police and decided not to charge her. Cervantes, 37, a first-year state senator, represents the 31st Senate District, which covers portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and previously served in the state Assembly. "Based on our ethical duty and the burden of proof in a criminal trial, the Sacramento County DA's Office declines to file any charges in this case," the Sacramento County district attorney's office said in a statement. Prosecutors received the toxicology results from a blood sample taken after the crash that tested negative for "any measurable amount of alcohol or drugs," according to a statement from the district attorney's office. Cervantes' dealings with Sacramento law enforcement began after her SUV was T-boned by another vehicle. She left the scene around 1:30 p.m. and received a ride to a hospital, where police eventually showed up and questioned her. The officers who interviewed Cervantes said she refused a field sobriety test and they "observed objective signs that led them to believe she may have been impaired while operating a motor vehicle," the department said in a statement. Cervantes strenuously denied driving while impaired after news of her citation became known. 'The accusation that I was driving under the influence is utterly false,' she said in a statement after the citation. 'The Sacramento Police Department's accusations are unjust and hold no truth.' Cervantes' office then released redacted medical records from her treatment at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Sacramento. She said the report shows there was no alcohol or drugs in her system. Her vital signs and behavior were not irregular either, she said. Cervantes' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment about no charges being filed against her. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
