Tag: California

New California fire grows as crews make headway on other blazes

by Jocelyne Zablit  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A new wildfire in California grew to nearly 9,000 acres (3,700 hectares) on Friday, sending thousands of people fleeing and further stretching resources in a state struggling with a spate of wildfires this season. The so-called Maria Fire erupted Thursday evening in Ventura County, 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, and burned out of control through the night, driven by high winds and threatening […]

Four killed, several injured in Orinda shooting

LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) — At least four people were killed and several were wounded in a shooting at a party near San Francisco, local authorities and media reported. The shooting took place at a rented Airbnb home around Thursday night in Orinda, around 17 miles (30 km) northeast of San Francisco, according to NBC Bay Area news. “Orinda homicide update – four fatalities, several injuries,” the Contra Costa County sheriff’s office tweeted early Friday. […]

More fires and evacuations in weary California

by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Firefighters battled several active wildfires on Thursday in California appearing to make headway against a number of major blazes that have forced mass evacuations and power cuts. Two fast-moving infernos broke out early Thursday in the southern part of the state, burning several homes and forcing people to flee. One — the Hillside Fire — was in San Bernardino, some 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of […]

California fires: new blazes as dangerous winds fan the flames

by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Firefighters in California struggled to contain a new fast-moving blaze on Wednesday that threatened thousands of homes and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, as rare “extreme” red flag warnings were issued for much of the Los Angeles region. The so-called Easy Fire in the Simi Valley northwest of Los Angeles erupted around 6:00 am, forcing the evacuation of the library and nearby homes as it spread […]

Evacuations as wildfire breaks out in Los Angeles

by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — More than 1,000 firefighters battled a wind-driven blaze Monday that broke near the renowned Getty Center in Los Angeles, prompting widespread evacuations as the flames destroyed several homes and forced the shutdown of schools and road closures. The so-called Getty Fire ignited overnight near a major freeway and quickly spread south and west toward neighborhoods, scorching some 600 acres (240 hectares) and sending people fleeing in […]

State of emergency as California fires spread

by Josh Edelson with Jocelyne Zablit in Los Angeles HEALDSBURG, United States (AFP) — California’s governor declared a state-wide emergency on Sunday as a huge wind-fueled blaze forced evacuations and massive power blackouts, threatening tourist towns in the state’s famed Sonoma wine region. The so-called Kincade Fire, north of San Francisco, spread to 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) overnight, with only 10 percent containment by early afternoon Sunday, state fire authorities said. The blaze, the largest […]

Powerful winds fan flames as ‘historic’ California blaze spreads

  by Philip Pacheco Agence France Presse HEALDSBURG, United States (AFP) — Powerful winds were fanning wildfires in northern California in “potentially historic fire” conditions, authorities said Sunday, as tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate and sweeping power cuts began in the US state. Gusts of 80 miles per hour (130 kph) were fueling the Kincade blaze — which threatens tens of thousands of structures — causing it to burn with greater […]

Firefighters battle fierce wildfires across California

  by Jocelyne ZABLIT Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Firefighters on Friday battled several wildfires raging across California that destroyed homes and forced evacuations, as more than 18 million people were under a red flag warning in the southern part of the state. Tens of thousands of residents near Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, fled their homes as the so-called Tick Fire scorched 4,300 acres (1,740 hectares) and was only […]

Tens of thousands evacuated as wildfires rage in California

by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Some 50,000 people were ordered to flee their homes north of Los Angeles on Thursday as a fast-moving wildfire driven by high winds erupted and raged out of control. The so-called Tick Fire near Santa Clarita, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, broke out in the early afternoon and quickly consumed 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares), fire officials said. The blaze burned several homes and […]

California unveils early warning earthquake app

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — California on Thursday launched the country’s first earthquake warning system in the hope that residents will be alerted within seconds of a possible impending disaster and can “drop, cover and hold on.” The app, created by the University of California, Berkeley, and unveiled on the 30th anniversary of the deadly Loma Prieta quake, uses ground motion sensors located across the state to detect the start of earthquakes before humans […]

Tens of thousands evacuated as California wildfires rage

by Jocelyne ZABLIT Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) — Wind-driven wildfires forced the evacuation of about 100,000 people in southern California Friday and destroyed dozens of structures and homes as authorities warned it could take days to extinguish the flames. By Friday evening, the strongest blaze, dubbed the Saddleridge Fire, had consumed 7,542 acres (3,052 hectares) in areas of the San Fernando Valley, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) north of downtown Los Angeles, fire […]

A million Californians without power as fire risk spreads south

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — More than a million Californians were without electricity due to pre-emptive blackouts Thursday, but localized fires broke out as hot, windy conditions spread south toward Los Angeles. Some 600,000 customers in northern California were in the dark after Pacific Gas & Electric began switching off power the previous day, in a bid to prevent a repeat of last year’s catastrophic inferno which killed 86 people. That figure was slightly […]