Tag: California

California roasts under record-setting temperatures

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — An excessive heat warning has been issued in California through Wednesday as the state bakes under extreme temperatures that are shattering records. Downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday broke the 1909 record of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2) set for that day as temperatures rose to 104 Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) by early afternoon according to the National Weather Service. Record-shattering temperatures were also recorded in many other cities across the southern part […]

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California fire death toll rises to 38, around 100,000 people evacuated

  by Frankie Taggart Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The death toll from California’s raging wildfires rose to 38 on Saturday, with more than 10,000 firefighters battling 16 large blazes and 100,000 people evacuated, the state’s fire service said. Around 335 square miles (864 square kilometers) of residential neighborhoods, forests and other property have been burned since Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). “These […]

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California fire toll rises to 33, winds cause concern

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The death toll from California’s wildfires rose to 33 on Friday as firefighters made some progress in containing the infernos but said intensifying winds were a concern. “We’re not out of this emergency, not even close,” said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “But we are seeing some progress in areas the fires have impacted,” Ghilarducci told a news conference. “We’ll get ahead of […]

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California fires kill 31, deadliest in state’s history

by Julie Charpentrat Agence France-Presse SANTA ROSA, United States (AFP) — The death toll from raging California wildfires rose to 31 Thursday as body recovery teams used cadaver dogs to locate victims, making it the deadliest series of blazes in the state’s history. The fires, which began on Sunday, have swept through California’s wine country, leaving thousands of people homeless and burning over 190,000 acres (76,000 hectares) of land. Gusty winds on Thursday were hampering the efforts […]

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23 dead in ‘catastrophic’ California wildfires

by Julie Charpentrat with Glenn Chapman in San Francisco Agence France-Presse SANTA ROSA, United States (AFP) — More than 200 fire engines and firefighting crews from around the country were being rushed to California on Wednesday to help battle infernos which have left at least 23 people dead and thousands homeless. “This is a serious, critical, catastrophic event,” California fire chief Ken Pimlott told reporters. “We’re not going to be out of the woods for […]

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15 dead as wildfires torch California wine country

 by Julie Charpentrat with Glenn Chapman in San Francisco Agence France-Presse SANTA ROSA, United States (AFP) — Firefighters battled wildfires in California’s wine region on Tuesday as the death toll rose to 15 and thousands were left homeless in neighborhoods reduced to ashes. “The homes are gone, they are like dust,” said Jack Dixon, a personal trainer who lives in Santa Rosa, a city of 175,000 in Sonoma County. “It is just like we were nuked.” Dixon told […]

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News in photos: Fast-moving wildfires tearing through California’s wine country

  More than a dozen fast-moving wildfires tearing through California’s wine country have killed at least 10 people, destroying hundreds of homes, authorities said Monday. Fanned by winds of over 50 miles (80 kilometers) an hour, the blazes have forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate in the country’s heaviest populated state since they began Sunday night. California’s fire service said about 73,000 acres (30,000 hectares) have been ravaged by the major infernos. At least […]

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Yosemite rock slides cause another injury; roads re-routed

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California (Reuters) — Yosemite National Park crews have re-routed roads around the base of the towering El Capitan granite formation after a series of at least eight rock falls over two days killed one man and injured two other people, a park spokesman said on Thursday (September 28). The latest slide, which took place at about 3:20 p.m. Pacific time (6:20 p.m. EDT) on Thursday afternoon, was the largest yet and injured […]

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Home explodes in Los Angeles, no reports of serious injury

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — A house exploded in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Canoga Park on Wednesday (September 20). It was still unclear if anyone was seriously hurt, but there were initial reports of one person injured. Aerials showed debris and wreckage scattered throughout the yard and on the adjacent house. The blast was reported just after 3pm PST (2200gmt). Firefighters and emergency crews were on scene shortly after.

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Man opens fire at LA Chinese consulate, kills himself

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — A man opened fire at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles on Tuesday (August 1) morning and then took his own life, police said. There were no other injuries in the shooting, which took place at about 6 a.m. before the consulate was open for the day, said Officer Michael Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department. Police say “Numerous rounds impacted the Chinese consulate,” and that the man was […]

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California wildfire burns 45 buildings near Yosemite

MARIPOSA COUNTY, California (Reuters) — A raging wildfire in central California that has forced more than 5,000 people from their homes spread rapidly on Thursday (July 20) after destroying dozens of buildings not far from Yosemite National Park, fire officials said. The Detwiler Fire, which is menacing the former gold rush town of Mariposa in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is only 10 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, […]

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