New CA Fires Take A Deadly and Destructive Turn; 29 Dead In 2020

CALIFORNIA — Winds remained calm throughout the night, granting firefighters momentary relief and allowing crews to start building containment lines against the new firestorm, which ignited over the weekend. But two blazes still managed to triple in size within 24 hours, ravaging fire-fatigued California.

Both the Zogg Fire and the Glass Fire have exploded to more than 40,000 acres and are both at zero percent containment. Aside from these fires of focus, 27 major fires were burning across state Tuesday, with more than 18,700 firefighters up against them.

Three lives were lost to the Zogg Fire in Shasta County, while first responders were scrambling to mitigate devastation in wine country as the massive Glass Fire consumed 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 80 homes, sending tens of thousands fleeing from their communities in Napa and Sonoma counties. The entire city of Calistoga was evacuated Monday as high flames threatened to engulf the city. More than 5,000 people in Calistoga alone were forced to leave.

The U.S. Forest Service reported a victory Monday as crews were able to knock out the 31,000-acre Lake Fire in Los Angeles County, which had been burning since Aug. 12.

But as crews mop up older fires, they are immediately reassigned to new ones.

A weekend heat wave is responsible for the two new major blazes, and conditions weren't looking to let up quite yet, as there is no rain in sight for the Golden State, Cal Fire said Tuesday.

A red flag warning was still in effect for the mountains and inland valleys of Riverside and San Diego counties through Tuesday night. The winds have quieted, but a persisting heat dome continues to suspend the state in critical fire weather. Coastal communities were expected to cool down Tuesday with an incoming marine layer.

The Glass Fire first advanced into Sonoma County on Sunday and merged with the Shady and Boysen fires — both of which sparked overnight.

More than 8,500 structures remain threatened by those combined fires, and many people have already lost their homes in the Skyhawk neighborhood of eastern Santa Rosa, according to multiple reports.

The area's red flag warning expired Monday, but high temperatures were expected to persist.

Santa Rosa Junior College was also shut Monday amid ongoing evacuations and power outages. All classes were canceled for the day.

As the flames jumped Highway 12 in Oakmont, a large senior citizens community was forced to evacuate by bus as flames threatened nearby hills, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The Zogg Fire also ignited Sunday afternoon in Shasta County near Redding. It has already charred more than 40,000 acres, destroyed homes and killed three.

Swaths of Pacific Gas and Electric customers were also out of power Monday as the utility announced Saturday that it may need to shutoff power to 65,000 in 16 counties due to critical fire weather.

The stronghold of new firestorms signifies 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

Southern California was expected to experience elevated fire weather Tuesday, as the intense Santa Ana winds entered the southern reaches of the state Monday.

"Warm and dry conditions persist across the state for the rest of the week," Cal Fire said.

Due to hot temperatures, dry conditions, and gusty Santa Ana winds, a Red Flag Warning will be in effect on Monday for the LA/Ventura mountains and Santa Clarita Valley. There will be the potential for rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior, so be alert! #CAwx #SoCal pic.twitter.com/rQ181Og522
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) September 27, 2020

The warnings come weeks after the state's last heat wave pushed temperatures to record-shattering highs and prompted utility companies to conduct rolling power outages all over the Golden State as the power grid became overwhelmed.

This new wave of fire weather across the state arrived right as firefighters managed to mop up a wind- and lightning-driven firestorm that ravaged California in August and September, including the LNU, SCU and CZU complex fires. Crews also contained the 17,000-acre Valley Fire and gained 90 percent containment over the Snow Fire last week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Friday in Del Norte, Los Angeles and Mendocino counties to deploy more resources to the massive fires burning across the state.

He also extended an executive order to send recovery efforts to communities across the state. The order is set to provide bill payment extensions to impacted families and expedite cleanup of debris and hazardous waste around fire zones.

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

"With Red Flag conditions in many parts of the state over the next few days, fires in these areas can spread rapidly," Cal Fire said. "Making quick and safe evacuation is critical to protecting your life and your family."

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

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 Tuesday, via Cal Fire:

**CALFIRE Incidents**

Zogg Fire, Shasta County (more info…)
Southwest of Redding
*40,317 acres, 0% contained
*3 Fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
*146 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Team 2 in command.

Glass Fire, Napa County, (more info…)
4 miles east of Calistoga
*42,560 acres, 0% contained
*Evacuation orders in effect and additional evacuations in progress
*CAL FIRE Team 3 in command today.

READ MORE: Napa County Glass Fire Latest: 52 Homes Lost, 42K Acres Burned

SEE ALSO: Sonoma County Glass Fire Latest: 28 Homes Lost, 42K Acres Burned

LNU Lightning Complex, multiple North Bay counties (more info…)
Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Colusa, Solano, and Yolo Counties
*363,220 acres, 98% contained
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.

SCU Lightning Complex, multiple Easy Bay counties (more info…)
Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara San Joaquin, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties
*396,624 acres, 98% contained
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.

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**

North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Northeast of Oroville to southwest of Quincy (Plumas National Forest)
*308,995 acres, 76% contained
*15 fatalities
*2,342 structures destroyed
*Evacuations in place
*Includes the Bear and Claremont Fire
*CAL FIRE Team 4 is in unified command with US Forest Service IMT Team 4, Butte County Sheriff’s Office and California State Parks.

Martindale Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…) (NEW)
Bouquet Canyon, Northeast of Santa Clarita
*230 acres, 20% contained
*Structures threatened
*Evacuation orders remain in place
*Unified Command USFS and Los Angeles County FD.

Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*305,240 acres, 44% contained
*Evacuations in place
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*855 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
*150,800 acres, 58% 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)
*938,044 acres, 43% contained
*South Zone 488,897 acres, 70% contained
*North Zone 332,388 acres, 49% contained
*West Zone 116,759 acres, 65% contained
*1 fatality
*86 structures destroyed
*Includes multiple fires including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar, and Doe fires
*A California Interagency Incident Management Team and Great Basin Team in command
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 3 & 5 are deployed on the West Zone of the complex.
**Federal Incidents**

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.

Fox Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
7 miles southwest of Callahan
*2,188 acres, 93% contained
*Evacuations in place.

Slater Fire, Siskiyou County, (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*154,102 acres, 40% contained
*2 fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place.

Devil Fire, Siskiyou County, (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*8,410 acres, 18% contained.

Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*114,202 acres, 62% containment
*Evacuations in place
*Unified command with the US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Monrovia Fire Department.

Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*128,417 acres, 77% 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.

Lake Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…) (FINAL)
Southwest of Lake Hughes
Angeles National Forest / Los Angeles County Fire Department
* 31,089 acres, 100% 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)
*116,819 acres, 31% contained.

Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*4,488 acres, 50% contained.

Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*1,087 acres, 35% contained.

Woodward Fire, Marin County (more info…)
3 miles southwest of Olema (Point Reyes National Seashore)
*4,929 acres, 97% 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
*668 acres, 70% contained.

Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*4,070 acres, 0% contained.