Tag: San Francisco Bay area

US towns destroyed as firefighters battle wildfires under orange skies

by Javier TOVAR Agence France-Presse Hundreds of homes including entire communities were razed by wildfires in the western United States Wednesday as officials warned of potential mass deaths under apocalyptic orange skies. At least five towns were “substantially destroyed” in Oregon as widespread evacuations took place across the northwestern state, governor Kate Brown said. “I want to be upfront in saying that we expect to see a great deal of loss, both in structures and […]

California fires cover 1 million acres amid fears of new spread

by Jocelyne ZABLIT Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) — Firefighters on Sunday battled some of California’s largest-ever fires that have forced tens of thousands from their homes and burned one million acres, with further lightning strikes and gusty winds forecast in the days ahead. Thousands of lightning strikes have hit the state in the past week, igniting fires that left smoke blanketing the region, bringing the total area burned to “close to one million […]

6.0 magnitude quake hits San Francisco Bay area, no major damage reported

(Reuters) – An earthquake of 6.0 magnitude shook the San Francisco Bay Area early on Sunday, waking residents but not causing major damage, according to initial reports. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was eight km (five miles) northwest of the town of American Canyon, on the northern edge of San Francisco Bay. Police dispatchers in San Francisco and Oakland said there were no reports of reports of major damage. Several people on […]