Red flag warning issued for parts of Northern California as crews battle Glass Fire
Red flag warning issued for parts of Northern California as crews battle Glass Fire
Some areas of Northern California are under a red flag warning for low humidity and wind gusts as firefighters continue to battle the Glass Fire in wine country.
The warning was issued beginning Thursday afternoon for North and South Bay, central Mendocino County, western Monterey County, and most of the Los Padres National Forest. It will continue through much of Friday, officials said in a press release.
"High temperatures also persist, adding to the critical fire weather danger. A slight cooling trend is not expected until later in the weekend or early next week," the release stated.
One wildfire burning across the northern part of the state is the Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties. The blaze, which began Sunday, has burned more than 56,000 acres, as of Thursday. It is only 5 percent contained and its cause is still being investigated, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
About 70,000 people were under evacuation orders in the wine region and at least 80 homes along with other buildings were destroyed in the fire, NBC Bay Area reports. Two firefighters were forced to take cover in fire shelters while battling the inferno in Napa County on Sunday.
Fire officials told the outlet that "intense fire conditions" combined with wind gusts forced the firefighters "to take refuge … in the aluminized cloth tents that offer protection by reflecting radiant heat and providing a volume of breathable air."
The firefighters were not injured, officials said.
There are over 17,000 firefighters battling nearly 30 major wildfires across California. The infernos have claimed the lives of 30 people this year, with the most recent death being a man who was badly burned from the Zogg Fire in Shasta County.
Shasta County Sheriff Eric Magrini said Wednesday that the man was transported to a hospital but later died of his injuries.
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Four people, including the man, have been killed in the Zogg Fire, which has burned more than 55,000 acres and destroyed nearly 150 structures since it started Sunday. It was 26 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon.
Some officials in the state, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have linked this year's unprecedented wildfire season to climate change.
"Climate change isn’t something to address in the distant future. The climate crisis is here," the governor tweeted Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Newsom said that since 1980, the average temperature in the state from June to September rose from around 71 degrees to about 74.
Five of the six largest wildfires in modern California history have occurred in August and September, according to Cal Fire. Among them are the LNU Lightning Complex fire and the SCU Lightning Complex fire, both of which began in August. In an update Thursday, fire officials said both complexes were 100 percent contained.
The cause of the fires remains under investigation.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 8,100 wildfires that have scorched nearly 4 million acres in the state. Over 96,000 people are currently evacuated, according to officials.
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