Latest news with #U.S.ForestService
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Epoch Times
Southern California Megafire Nears San Luis Obispo in Wine Country
A Southern California wildfire in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties has reached 'megafire' status after reaching over 122,000 acres Aug. 12, becoming the state's largest fire this year. The Gifford Fire has destroyed four homes and injured seven people—including four civilians--since it ignited on Aug. 1, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Fires, storms and blazing temperatures forecast for western US
Fires, storms and the potential for near-record high temperatures across the western U.S. are in the offing for the coming week. The Gifford Fire, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, had burned 113,648 acres and was 21% contained through Saturday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, commonly known as Cal Fire. So far, 809 people have been evacuated and the Los Padres National Forest was closed because of the flames. There are 3,935 fire crews and support staff on the scene, and at least seven have been injured, according to a joint statement by Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and several local agencies. The Gifford blaze is the largest of 14 fires across the state, according to Cal Fire. Large wildfires in Colorado have also caused air quality to drop there, the U.S. National Weather Service said. Alerts are out across western portions of the state, including Vail, the agency said. Meanwhile, smoke from forest fires in Canada has once again crossed into the U.S., causing air quality alerts to be posted in Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said. There's also a dense smoke advisory in place across northeast parts of Montana. Across the border, air quality warnings are also in place for parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Environment and Climate Change Canada said. Across Canada, 714 active fires are burning, with 166 raging out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. So far this year, 4,277 blazes have charred 7.3 million acres. In the U.S., there have been 42,854 fires reported on 3.5 million acres, the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center said. While the number of U.S. fires exceeds last year's 32,727 by this date, the acreage burned is less than the more than 5 million acres consumed a year ago. U.S. heat advisories and extreme heat warnings are posted across parts of the west, including California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Phoenix is forecast to reach 108F (42C) Sunday, a dip from the record temperatures that gripped the fifth most-populous US city last week. Phoenix set a new August high temperature of 118F on Thursday. In New York City and elsewhere in the Northeast, temperatures are set to rise. As many as 12 records may be tied or broken across the region in the coming week, the U.S. Weather Prediction Center said. Flood watches have been posted across the Midwest, including Milwaukee, the weather service said. The Milwaukee River in Estabrook Park has risen more than 8 feet in the last day, cresting at a new record of 11.19 feet, the weather service said. The U.S. National Hurricane Center is watching two potential storms both in the central Atlantic far from land. The first is a disorganized patch of thunderstorms that's moving north into the Atlantic with a 20% chance of becoming a storm in the next week. The second is a broad area of low pressure that is moving off Africa with a 70% chance of becoming a tropical storm or hurricane in the coming week. The remnants of Tropical Storm Dexter, which has crossed the Atlantic Ocean toward Europe, will set the stage for warmer temperatures to filter in across the UK and Ireland, the UK Met Office said. Warmer temperatures are forecast to sweep into the UK during the coming week. The high in London is forecast to reach 33C (91F) by Tuesday, the agency said. _____ (With assistance from Isis Almeida.) _____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
California's Gifford Fire is now a ‘megafire.' Here's what that means
The Gifford Fire, burning through the rugged backcountry of California's Central Coast, has grown into the state's largest wildfire of the year and has reached 'megafire' status, federal officials say. Igniting on Aug. 1 along State Route 166, the blaze had scorched more than 104,000 acres as of Saturday morning, with containment at just 21%, according to a federal fire update. Fire officials attribute the explosive growth to extreme heat, steep and inaccessible terrain, and dry vegetation in areas that have no recorded history of wildfire. The fire is now advancing northward into the Garcia Wilderness in Los Padres National Forest, a remote region dense with fire-prone fuel. Thousands of firefighters are battling the blaze, which has already triggered evacuation orders for more than 600 residents in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. An additional 1,500 people remain under evacuation warnings. Once rare, such large-scale fires have become more frequent across the western United States in recent decades, driven in part by climate change and increasingly severe weather patterns. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, megafires are more accurately understood through their intensity, environmental disruption and socioeconomic consequences. 'We have hot weather, and we have low relative humidity,' Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said earlier this week. 'So we expect extreme fire behavior.' Three civilians and four firefighters have been injured since the fire began. The cause remains under investigation. Road closures are in place, and the U.S. Forest Service has restricted access to portions of the national forest through February. Local officials are urging residents to stay alert and prepared.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Growing 'mega fire' in California becomes state's largest in 2025
The fire is burning with dry and hot conditions, as temperatures climb above 100 degrees in mountainous terrain on the Central Coast. A mega-fire on California's Central Coast has become the state's largest of 2025 — and it's projected to keep growing. The Gifford Fire, which ignited Aug. 1, is estimated to have engulfed over 104,000 acres and is 21% contained, according to an Aug. 9 federal fire update. It's burning in a remote area of the Los Padres National Forest that has prompted road closures and evacuations in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, located about 180 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Gifford Fire can be considered a mega-fire, a designation for wildfires over 100,000 acres, according to the U.S. Interagency Fire Center. Mark Ruggiero, a spokesperson for the federal response to the fire, said the western United States has seen many fires over 100,000 acres in recent decades. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Three civilians and four firefighters have been injured in the ongoing blaze. The fire is already California's largest of 2025. Dry and hot conditions, with temperatures climbing above 100 degrees, in mountainous terrain make containing the blaze difficult for thousands of firefighters responding to the area, according to Ruggiero. Canyon winds are also expected to reach gusts of around 20 mph. 'We've got a long ways to go,' he said. 'The weather makes it more difficult to get crews in areas safely.' The fire is spreading northward into Los Padres National Forest's Garcia Wilderness area, which hasn't seen fire in recorded history, Ruggiero said. The wilderness area provides heavy fuel, including vegetation and trees, that allow the fire to continue growing. The national forest has sections closed off to the public through February, the U.S. Forest Service announced in an Aug. 8 incident update. In San Luis Obispo County, local officials are preparing in the event that more evacuations are needed as the fire heads northward toward more populated areas. Evacuation orders have affected over 600 people in rural areas dotted with horse ranches and farms, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Sgt. Kyle Nudson said. Approximately 1,500 people are under evacuation warnings. Katie Munds, the county emergency services coordinator, encouraged people to know their evacuation zones and to sign up for alerts as conditions change. The county is issuing more information on and, in Santa Barbara County, at People can also view updates on air quality due to the wildfires and danger on toxic wildfire smoke at Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
Gifford Fire, California's largest wildfire of the year, nears 100,000 acres
The state's largest wildfire of the year so far, burning in central California, was expected to surpass the 100,000-acre mark this weekend. The Gifford Fire has scorched about 99,232 acres of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties with just 15% containment as of Friday afternoon, according to a Cal Fire incident report. The fire broke out last Friday along Highway 166, prompting evacuations. Four firefighters and three civilians had been injured as of Friday afternoon, and nearly 3,000 structures were threatened by the fire, Cal Fire said. In a Friday morning update, officials said the blaze expanded rapidly on Thursday due to high winds on the northwest corner, pushing towards Garcia Wilderness area within the national forest. Crews on Friday planned to continue building control lines to contain the new growth, officials said. 'That's our priority for this fire today,' Spencer Andreis, operations section chief with the U.S. Forest Service, said Friday morning in a Facebook video. On the east and west sides of the blaze, firefighters will continue mopping up while other crews work to secure the southern edge, officials said. What caused the fire was still under investigation as of Friday.
