Fires 2020: CA Surpasses Grim 4 Million Acre Milestone

CALIFORNIA — The Golden State surpassed an unprecedented landmark Sunday, as 4 million acres have now been scorched during the state's largest fire season on record. More than 16,500 firefighters were on the frontlines of more than 23 major wildfires across California Sunday.

A dry landscape, combined with persistent and historically high temperatures this year, have kept the state in an extended fire season. Since La Nina conditions are forecasted to keep the state arid through the winter, fires could continue to rage well into November.

So far, more than 8,454 known structures have been destroyed.

And although Red Flag warnings had expired Saturday, warm and arid conditions are predicted to linger throughout the state this weekend, challenging wearied firefighters.
"Above normal temperatures persist today across much of the state, coupled with low humidity creating increased fire danger," Cal Fire said in a Saturday update.

A Fire Weather Watch was in effect for very Northeastern California starting Sunday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. for strong gusty winds with low humidity in the Tulelake Basin area.

Fortunately, temperatures were expected to cool gradually Sunday as more seasonal conditions were expected to return to the state by the end of the week. Gusty winds were potentially on tap for some parts of California Sunday, keeping crews on the lookout for new sparks.

Saturday, 27 new wildfires cropped up but were all extinguished by firefighters.

The state's largest fires of focus, the Zogg and Glass fires, grew overnight but crews managed to gain ground on containment.

The Zogg Fire, which killed four people, pulled the state's fatality rate this fire season up to 31. The fire is burning near Redding and has scorched 56,305 acres with 68 percent containment.

The fire has threatened to merge with the state's largest ever fire, the August Complex, coming within nine miles of it, but firefighters have been able to keep the two apart.

As personnel made good progress on containing the Zogg Fire, first responders were still struggling to save wine country, where the destructive Glass Fire has consumed more than 826 structures.

The fire has exploded into 63,885 acres with just 17 percent containment.

The fire has also destroyed historic landmarks and famed wineries along Silverado Trail, nestled within Napa Valley.

A 120-year-old home at Tofaneli Vineyard and the 41-year-old Chateau Boswell Winery were lost to the flames Monday. It was still too early to tell at this point how many landmarks and businesses were reduced to ash in the fast-moving fire, but some business owners did report on social media Monday that their establishments were still standing.

The Glass Fire has consumed countless homes, sending tens of thousands fleeing from their communities in Napa and Sonoma counties throughout the week. Fortunately, no new evacuation orders have been issued since Thursday, with some evacuation orders reduced to warnings in areas of Sonoma County and parts of Santa Rosa.

The entire city of Calistoga was evacuated Monday as incoming flames threatened to engulf the city. More than 5,000 people in Calistoga were forced to flee.

"A layer of heavy smoke continues to blanket Calistoga as the mandatory evacuation order continues to be in effect," the city of Calistoga said in an update Friday afternoon. "Air quality within the city remains at hazardous levels."

Although no cause has been determined for the Zogg and Glass fires, last weekend's dry heat wave is largely to blame.

The orphaned mtn lion rescued from the #ZoggFire has a name: Captain Cal....named after @CAL_FIRE's mascot.

Our vet staff is treating Captain Cal's injured feet today. He's been eating & looks much better than he did when he arrived. We'll keep you posted on how he's doing! pic.twitter.com/L4T3Xg6CdN
— Oakland Zoo (@oakzoo) October 2, 2020

The stronghold of new firestorms points to what Cal Fire has been warning all along: The 2020 fire season is far from over. Since the beginning of the year, some 8,100 fires have incinerated 3.8 million acres, and fire officials say that this may not be over until at least November.

Since Aug. 15, when a series of abnormal, dry lightning storms ignited dozens of major fires, there have been 29 fatalities and more than 7,000 known structures destroyed — with countless more taking significant damage in Napa Valley as the Glass Fire rages.

SEE ALSO: Historic Chateau Boswell Winery Burns Down; More Landmarks Lost

Thirty-three members of California's congressional delegation, including Rep. Judy Chu, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, wrote a letter to President Donald Trump this week urging him to support Gov. Gavin Newsom's request for a Major Disaster Declaration to respond to the wildfires raging in California, including the Bobcat Fire, which is burning in Chu's district.

Cal Fire offers a website to help people prepare for and prevent wildfires. Ready For Wildfires can be accessed here.

READ MORE: SEE ALSO: Wildfire Smoke Could Affect Pregnant Women Disproportionately

As fire season rages on, new records continue to be set.

Cal Fire says these new records have been recorded this season:

• 5 of the Top 20 largest wildfires in California History have occurred in 2020.
• Largest Wildfires - #1 August Complex, #3 SCU Lightning Complex, #4 LNU Lightning Complex, #5 North Complex, and #6 Creek Fire.
• Most Destructive - #5 North Complex, #10 LNU Lightning Complex, #11 CZU Lightning Complex, and #17 Creek Fire.
• Deadliest Wildfires - #5 North Complex and #20 LNU Lightning Complex.

SEE ALSO: Discovery Channel Partners With Cal Fire In New Series

Here's more on some of the major fires burning as of Sunday, via Cal Fire:

**CALFIRE Incidents**

Zogg Fire, Shasta County (more info…)
Southwest of Redding
*56,305 acres, 68% contained
*4 Fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
*CAL FIRE Team 2 in command.

Glass Fire, Napa and Sonoma County (more info…)
4 miles east of Calistoga
*63,885 acres, 17% contained
*Evacuation orders in effect and additional evacuations in progress
*CAL FIRE Team 3 in command.

Butte/Tehama/Glenn (BTU/TGU) Lightning Complex, multiple Counties (more info…)
Butte, Tehama and Glenn Counties
*19,609 acres, 97% contained
*14 structures destroyed
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
**Unified Command Incidents**

Martindale Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
Bouquet Canyon, Northeast of Santa Clarita
*230 acres, 98% contained
*Unified Command USFS and Los Angeles County FD.

Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*315,413 acres, 62% contained
*Evacuations in place
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*852 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 in unified command with USFS Great Basin Team 1.

SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
3 miles east of Giant Sequoia National Monument
*156,435 acres, 65% contained
*Evacuations in place
*232 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 in unified command with USFS Team 2.
**Coordinated Command Incidents**

August Complex, Tehama County (more info…)
Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity Counties
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*987,654 acres, 51% contained
*South Zone 492,072 acres, 72% contained
*North Zone 366,283 acres, 37% contained
*West Zone 129,299 acres, 55% contained
*1 fatality
*159 structures destroyed
*Includes multiple fires including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar, and Doe fires
*Pacific North West Team 2 in command of the South Zone
*Alaska Incident Management Team 1 is in command of the North Zone
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 5 is in unified command on the West Zone.
**Federal Incidents**

North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Northeast of Oroville to southwest of Quincy (Plumas National Forest)
*318,412 acres, 83% contained
*15 fatalities
*2,342 structures destroyed
*Evacuations in place
*Includes the Bear and Claremont Fire.

Snow Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Snow Creek Rd, west of Palm Springs
*6,254 acres, 95% contained.

El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*22,744 acres, 93% contained
*1 fatality
*10 structures destroyed
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 in command.

Slater Fire, Siskiyou County, (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*154,814 acres, 55% contained
*2 fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place.

Devil Fire, Siskiyou County, (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*8,598 acres, 25% contained.

Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*115,548 acres, 84% containment
*Evacuations in place.

Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*124,924 acres, 91% contained
*Structures threatened
*California Interagency Incident Command Team 15 in command.

Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*1,185 acres, 50% contained.

Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,667 acres, 70% contained.

Apple Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Oak Glen/Cherry Valley (San Bernardino National Forest)
*33,424 acres, 95% contained.

Red Salmon Complex – Humboldt County (more info…)
14 miles northeast of Willow Creek (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
*130,154 acres, 33% contained.

Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*5,335 acres, 50% contained.

Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*1,092 acres, 60% contained.

Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,759 acres, 86% contained.

Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*694 acres, 70% contained.

Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*4,471 acres, 30% contained.