As of Wednesday morning (9/8/210, nearly 15,000 firefighters are making progress on 14 major wildfires and three extended attack wildfires in California. Yesterday, firefighters responded to 32 new initial attack wildfires across the state, quickly containing them all.
Since the beginning of the year, over 2 million acres have burned across California. While firefighters continue battling the current major wildfires, CAL FIRE and fire departments across the state remain prepared for potentially more significant wildfires due to critical fire weather.
Six of the seven largest wildfires in California history have occurred since 2020, with the Dixie Fire now the 2nd largest wildfire in California history, the Caldor the 15th, and the Monument the 18th. This year’s wildfires have also been destructive with nearly 3,000 structures being destroyed.
Unusually warm and dry conditions will continue for most of Northern California today under the influence of a strong upper-level ridge. Incoming mid-level monsoonal moisture and the breakdown of the upper-level ridge will bring a variety of critical fire weather concerns to Northern California Thursday and Friday.
Peak gusts of 20-30 mph combined with minimum relative humidity in the upper single digits and teens and hot temps will create localized areas of enhanced area fire weather conditions today.
Southern California temperatures will remain above average through Saturday. With moisture ramping back into the region today, minimum humidity will be in the teens and 20’s away from the coastal areas through Friday. Isolated to widely scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms (a mix of wet and dry) will be possible over the mountains and deserts of Southern California today through Friday.
Fires of Interest:
**CAL FIRE Fires**
Bridge Fire, Placer County (more info…)
Northeast of Auburn
*411 acres, 50% contained
*Evacuation warnings have been lifted
*Road closures in the area
**Unified Command Fires**
Caldor Fire, El Dorado County (more info…)
South of Grizzly Flats – El Dorado National Forest
*217,569acres, 50% contained
*15th largest and 17th Most Destructive Wildfire in California history
*Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place
*More than 24,600 structures remain threatened, 996 structures destroyed
*Damage inspection is ongoing
*Repopulation ongoing where safe to do so
Dixie Fire, Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Tehama & Shasta Counties (more info…)
Feather River Canyon
*922,192 acres, 59% contained
*Almost 6,000 structures threatened, 1,282 destroyed
*2nd Largest and 14th Most Destructive Wildfire in California history
*Evacuation orders and warnings in place for multiple communities
*Repopulation ongoing where safe to do so
*Damage assessment is ongoing
*Unified Command CAL FIRE, USFS, BLM, and National Park Service
*CAL FIRE IMT 1 and Great Basin IMT 1 are in command
Click for data on all additional fires
If you liked this post you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.
