California firefighters battle big wildfires in high heat
REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Hundreds of firefighters worked Thursday in high heat to beat back wildfires in the forests of far Northern California, where the flames have forced many communities to evacuate.
Mount Shasta, the volcano that towers over the region, was shrouded in a haze of smoke plumes so huge they could easily be seen in images from weather satellites in space.
The scene was ominously reminiscent of last year's California wildfire season, which scorched more than 6,562 square miles (17,000 square kilometers), the most in recorded history.
An extraordinary Pacific Northwest heat wave that extended into the upper reaches of California was slowly receding, but it was only expected to cool off slightly before temperatures trend back up heading into the Fourth of July weekend, forecasters said.
"It is very hot and dry," said Suzi Johnson, a Shasta-Trinity National Forest spokeswoman for the Salt Fire, which broke out Wednesday and quickly grew to more than 4 square miles (10 square kilometers), temporarily shutting down Interstate 5.
California and the rest of the U.S. West is mired in a historic drought tied to climate change, which also is contributing to worsening wildfire seasons and heat waves.
An air tanker drops fire retardant to battle the Salt Fire in Lakehead, Calif., on Thursday, July 1, 2021. Firefighters are battling multiple fires in the region following high temperatures and lightning strikes. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The fire was a threat to homes around Shasta Lake north of the city of Redding, more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of San Francisco. The huge lake is popular with vacationers, but its water level is dramatically low because of the drought.
Evacuation orders were in place for some areas, but there was no immediate information on how many people were forced to flee.
To the north, the Lava Fire burning partly on the flanks of Mount Shasta grew to nearly 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) and was partially contained. Evacuation orders for communities near the city of Weed were still in effect.
The steep, rocky terrain challenged nearly 1,300 firefighters battling the blaze, which was ignited by lightning last week.
To the northeast, a fire that broke out Monday in the Klamath National Forest and forced evacuations has grown to about 15 square miles (38 square kilometers). The fire was expected to advance north toward Oregon, and its cause was being investigated.
Fire authorities throughout California stepped up campaigns urging people not to use fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July, citing both the explosive dangers and the threat of wildfires in the withering conditions.
"The fuels are bone dry," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said at a news conference. "We are extremely concerned about the use of fireworks of all kinds."
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Antczak reported from Los Angeles.
In this Monday, June 28, 2021, photo firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection work to extinguish hot spots after the Lava Fire burned through an area alongside U.S. Highway 97 northeast of Weed, Calif. A wildfire that has put thousands of people under evacuation orders in Northern California grew substantially but firefighters had some success against the flames, authorities said Wednesday, June 30. Burning in the shadow of the towering Mount Shasta volcano, the Lava Fire was ignited by lightning last week. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)
In this Monday, June 28, 2021, photo a Trinity Hotshots U.S. Forest Service firefighting crew hikes into the burn zone at the Lava Fire northeast of Weed, Calif. A wildfire that has put thousands of people under evacuation orders in Northern California grew substantially but firefighters had some success against the flames, authorities said Wednesday., June 30. Burning in the shadow of the towering Mount Shasta volcano, the Lava Fire was ignited by lightning last week. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)
In this Monday, June 28, 2021, photo firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection work to extinguish hot spots after the Lava Fire burned through an area alongside U.S. Highway 97 northeast of Weed, Calif. A wildfire that has put thousands of people under evacuation orders in Northern California grew substantially but firefighters had some success against the flames, authorities said Wednesday, June 30. Burning in the shadow of the towering Mount Shasta volcano, the Lava Fire was ignited by lightning last week. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)
In this Monday, June 28, 2021, photo Tanker 105, an MD-87 aircraft operated by Erickson Aero Tanker of Hillsboro, Ore., drops retardant in an effort to stop the advancing Lava Fire northeast of Weed, Calif. A wildfire that has put thousands of people under evacuation orders in Northern California grew substantially but firefighters had some success against the flames, authorities said Wednesday, June 30. Burning in the shadow of the towering Mount Shasta volcano, the Lava Fire was ignited by lightning last week. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)
Flames from the Lava Fire burn along a ridge near U.S. Highway 97 and Big Springs Road north of Weed, Calif., on Monday, June 28, 2021. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)
A member of the U.S. Forest Service's Trinity Hotshots firefighting crew carries a chain saw while hiking out of the burn zone Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Lava Fire north of Weed, Calif. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)
