Another wild day in fire news...
That’s it for me here in Oakland as I leave my post for the night. Thanks for sticking with me for another day of wildfire news. With any luck, winds should ease up overnight and into the weekend, allowing firefighters to get a handle on the more than a dozen fires that burned today.
Before I sign off, let’s take a look back at the day and see where firefighters stand on some of the biggests wildfires:
- Firefighters have continued to chip away at the Kincade fire in Sonoma county, heretofore the state’s biggest fire of the season, and it was 60% contained as of 3pm today. The fire has charred roughly 77,000 acres, but firefighters appear to have made a strong stand.
- Evacuation orders have been mostly lifted by those forced out of their homes by the Getty fire that broke out earlier this week in west Los Angeles, threatening some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods. Firefighters worked overnight to cool any hot spots and contain any flare-ups within the current fire perimeter, reports the Los Angeles Fire department. An “Extreme Red Flag Warning” remains in effect through 6:00pm, as the historic Santa Ana winds that played a hand in fuleing the day’s fires continue to gust across southern California.
- The LAist published a good round-up of all the fires burning in southern California. As of this afternoon, more than a dozen active fires burned.
- The Easy fire near the bedroom community of Simi Valley north of Los Angeles continues to burn, but firefighters are reported to have been able to hold a line and keep it from consuming additional homes and the 125,000 square foot Reagan Library perched on a nearby hillside. (Goats have also played a role in protecting the library, and they’re finally getting their due). As of this morning, the fire had consumed about 1,500 acres and was only contained at 5%, though responders are believed to have made progress since.
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What it means to ‘contain’ a fire
As we tune into wildfire coverage, we often hear the word “contain,” as in the percentage at which a fire is contained. But what does that mean? It means, roughly, that firefighters have a handle on the inferno. But it doesn’t necessarily mean the fire has been extinguished. In fact, fires can burn long after firefighters have contained them.
Los Angeles Time has a good explainer on this point this afternoon:
In the firefighting world, containment means a certain level of control — specifically, how much of the fire’s edge, or perimeter, firefighters believe they can stop from expanding. A natural barrier such as a river or creek can help. So can human interventions such as using a bulldozer to scrape the vegetation off a swath of land to deprive the fire of fuel it could use to grow.
That’s why even when a fire is 100% contained, it can still be burning and firefighters stay to make sure it does not get out of control.
The percentage is simply firefighters telling the public how much of the fire perimeter they believe will not go beyond their defenses, LAT reports:
Firefighters often set up layers of defense called contingency lines some distance from the containment line. They will scrape the earth clean down to the dirt on ridge tops up to a mile away from a fire’s edge to set up a position to make a future defensive stand. Meanwhile, they work their way closer to the fire, building layer after layer of additional defense by laying lines of fire retardant and using bulldozers, shovels, axes and chain saws to clear out vegetation...
But that doesn’t mean the battle is over:
After a fire reaches 100% containment — which can take months, depending on the weather conditions, the fire’s size and the area’s topography — crews work toward declaring the fire “controlled,” McLean said.
When a fire is controlled, it’s essentially out. Authorities will no longer assign crews to the blaze and will instead send a patrol out daily to ensure no scorched areas rekindle and start another fire.
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Most of southern Calfornia remains under a red-flag warning through 6pm today, an alert triggered by crackling-dry conditions and Santa Ana winds moving across the region at historic speeds.
Meterologists warned that conditions yesterday and today could make for a dangerous wildfire recipe, and it looks like they didn’t miss the mark. As of this afternoon, more than a dozen active fires burned across the California, most of them in the southern half of the state.
But, there’s a chance, weather folks say while knocking on wood, that conditions could ease soon. Winds are expected to slow into the weekend, and the San Francisco Chronicle reports that next week a strong jet stream coming in from Russia could undercut the high-pressure ridge sitting off Californai’s coast and bring much-needed moisture to the West Coast.
It would be a very welcome kind of Russian interference.
The day in fire photos
Firefighters continue to battle the Hillside fire in San Bernardino county, where mandatory evacuations affected about 3,600 residents on Thursday. The blaze that started just after 1am had grown to 200 acres by noon, and was threatening 1,200 homes.
Here are some stunning images from the Hillside fire.
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All the SoCal fires burning
With the historic Santa Ana winds ripping across southern Calfornia and kicking up new blazes faster than firefighters can put them down, it can be tough to keep track of them all. Luckily, our Los Angeles pals at the LAist have done the heavy lifting and cobbled together the active fires in a handy post.
For reference, Cal Fire has an incident map that tends to generally have the most reliable and up-to-date infomation on the status of fires – when they started, how many acres or buildings have burned, what percentage of the fire that has been contained. That type of thing.
Here are some of the fires burning across SoCal right now:
Hillside fire
The Hillside fire ignited about 1.30am Thursday in San Bernardino and quickly consumed 200 acres and spurred evacuations affecting more than 1,300 people. The fire initially was headed downhill toward the city of San Bernardino, LAist reports.
A spokesperson for San Bernardino county fire said 500 homes are in mandatory evacuation zones. About 500 firefighters were at the scene Thursday. As of 1pm the fire was contained at about 50%.
House burned almost to the studs by #HillsideFire in North San Bernardino. Parts are still smoldering. Near corner of Viento Way and Monte Drive. Neighboring house also burned. @kpcc @laist pic.twitter.com/yn0fZ7UTUK
— Libby Denkmann (@libdenk) October 31, 2019
46 fire
The 46 fire began in Riverside county’s Jurupa Valley early Thursday morning, and by 8.45am the blaze had burned about 300 acres and was 5% contained.
#46FIRE [UPDATE] 9:50 a.m. - The mandatory evacuation are has been reduced. To search if you are in a mandatory evacuation area please visit: https://t.co/3aKtBs7tVd pic.twitter.com/CQz8R5KvxC
— CAL FIRE Riverside (@CALFIRERRU) October 31, 2019
The #46Fire began after a police pursuit ended in a crash and ignited a fire. It has quickly spread to 300 acres, damaging homes and forcing evacuations in Jurupa Valley. https://t.co/6tlnrxPK7Y
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 31, 2019
Easy fire
The Easy fire was reported just before 6.10am Wednesday, south of the 118 Freeway near Madera and Easy streets in the city of Simi Valley. As of 6.45am Thursday about 1,700 acres had burned.
LAist writes:
After the Easy Fire began, the fire spread rapidly west toward the 23 Freeway and south toward Thousand Oaks. Some outbuildings had been destroyed and one residential structure may have burned. The flames were also creeping dangerously close to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Authorities reported three firefighters had sustained injuries in the fight to bring the Easy Fire under control.
By Thursday morning the fire was 10% contained and all evacuation orders in the area had been lifted.
Some edited #easyfire images from yesterday for @washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/UozRSc4sKc
— Stuart Palley (@stuartpalley) October 31, 2019
Other fires include the Getty fire in west Los Angeles, the Hill fire, also in Riverside county, Orange county’s Castlewood fire, Dexter fire in Riverside, Soledad fire in Santa Clarita, the Brea fire, in Los Angeles county’s Diamond Bar, the Mureau fire, north of Malibu, the Saddle Ridge fire in the LA county’s San Fernando Valley, Tick fire, Palisades fire and Old Water fire, currently burning in San Bernardino.
That makes MORE THAN A DOZEN active fires. That’s a lot of fires.
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How wildfires get their names
Camp fire. Easy fire. Hillside and Hill fire. The names can range from ominous to ironic to redundant. But just who names them, and how do they land on a name??
Los Angeles Times has a good explainer on the topic that should add some clarity:
Fires are named almost the instant they are reported, said Scott McClean, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. The decision is usually made by the dispatcher who takes the call. Less frequently, fires are named by the first responder to reach the scene.
After receiving a report of fire, dispatchers quickly plug its coordinates into a map and look for a nearby feature to use as a moniker. A geologic landmark like a valley, river or canyon will work. So will the name of a road.
“The name helps direct us to the location,” McClean said. “We respond to about 170 fires a week throughout the state. We don’t have time to second-guess ourselves. We get a location and a name, and then we get to work.”
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Copper Fire halted outside San Diego
Firefighters have reportedly stopped a blaze that erupted Wednesday night south of the US-Mexican border before it reached San Diego and communities further north.
The blaze broke out around 6pm in Tijuana before heading north into San Diego County. By noon the so-called Copper fire had burned 50 acres and was contained at 15%.
That fire ignited in an undeveloped riverbed area known for its homeless encampments, according to a local fire department battalion chief, reports Los Angeles Times.
Chula Vista Fire (Left) #CopperFire on Otay Mountain (Mexico) (right)
— Anvilhead (@Anvilhead8) October 31, 2019
San Diego County pic.twitter.com/HG6nseo7Tw
Let’s hear it for the goats.
The 125,000 sq ft Reagan library – “the repository of presidential records for President Reagan’s administration” that holds over 60m pages of documents, over 1.6m photographs, a half million feet of motion picture film and tens of thousands of audio and video tapes according to its website – has been preemptively protected by goats.
In May, about 500 hungry goats were enlisted to help eat away at and clear the grasses and vegetation that could catch fire on the hillside surrounding the Reagan library and museum.
The goats were hired from a local company – 805 Goats – to clear around 13 acres of land, reports the BBC.
Scott Morris, who started the company last November, charges around $1,000 per acre of land. With ongoing threat of wildfires, Morris predicts he’ll need to double his herd to meet demand.
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Evacuation orders lifted near Easy fire
Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday for the those forced out of their homes by the Easy fire – what had been a fast-moving blaze in Simi Valley, a bedroom community north of Los Angeles.
The fire at one point threatened 6,500 homes and the 125,000 square foot Reagan presidential library, before firefighters were able to defend a line. The fire is still burning, but firefighters are believed to have contained the blaze. Cal Fire reports that the blaze consumed nearly 1,500 acres since it started burning yesterday.
Anyone still evacuated from the #EasyFire in #Moorpark - you can GO HOME. All evacuations lifted. (you may not have power though... but that's another problem). https://t.co/DXJbplQHtj
— AI6YR (@ai6yrham) October 31, 2019
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Mario Koran here, taking over the fire-watch from my colleague Joanna Walters in New New York.
As firefighters in San Bernardino work to beat back the latest blaze, a number of people on Twitter, across the political aisle have fretted over the possibility of losing a piece of history. Here’s a piece from the library’s webpage about what it actually contains.
Perched on a mountaintop with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, valleys and the Pacific Ocean, the Ronald Reagan presidential library is one of California’s most beautiful and unique destinations.
The Library’s 300 acre site, about 45 miles from Los Angeles international airport (LAX), represents the “shining city on a hill” often referenced by President Reagan and appropriately serves as the final resting place of the nation’s 40th President.
As a Presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Reagan Library, under the authority of the Presidential Records Act, is the repository of presidential records for President Reagan’s administration. Our holdings include over 60 million pages of documents, over 1.6 million photographs, a half million feet of motion picture film and tens of thousands of audio and video tapes. Additionally, the Library houses personal papers collections including documents from Ronald Reagan’s eight years as governor of California. Information on accessing all of these records, including how to file a Freedom of Information Act request, can be found under the “I am a Researcher” tab above.
In other words, whether or not you agree with the Gipper’s politics, losing a piece of history compounds the loss of property. So far, the Reagan library has stood unscathed, but flames have so far crept up to its doorstep.
Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Media
Reagan, as president, made no attempts to hide his disdain for government agencies. Oh, the irony. Washington Post ponts out:
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” That’s what Ronald Reagan used to say, a summation of his belief that government was not just incompetent but malevolent, a ravenous beast that would steal your money and ruin your life. Or as he put it in his first inaugural address, ‘Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
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No sign of rain in wildfire-ravaged coastal California
Firefighting helicopters have been dumping water on the fires around Los Angeles, but some heaven-sent precipitation would be nice right about now.
Not much chance of that in these tinderbox conditions. Here’s climate scientist Daniel Swain on the prospect of easing winds but precious few raindrops.
After today's continued #SantaAna winds die down in SoCal, CA will finally see a break from recent onslaught of desiccating & wildfire-promoting offshore winds. Some irony: as stable high pressure builds in & temperatures rise, fire risk will decrease somewhat.#CAwx #CAfire (1/2) pic.twitter.com/K5FRnLs03I
— Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) October 31, 2019
World Series, world of flames
What could possibly connect the two? Billy Baldwin (actor bro of Alec).
MAGA said the Nationals would lose the World Series for booing Trump and the California fires were punishment for their ungodly liberal politics.
— Billy Baldwin (@BillyBaldwin) October 31, 2019
Wonder how they feel now that the Nationals won and the Easy Fire is burning at the front door of the Reagan Presidential Library? pic.twitter.com/Tw4R6CzfAX
Kincade fire in wine country now 60% contained
Officials say the wildfire burning in northern California’s wine country, which forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 people, is now 60% contained and has not increased in size since yesterday.
California department of forestry and fire protection officials said a few minutes ago that firefighting crews working through the night increased their control of the fire from the previous estimate of 45% containment late Wednesday, the AP reports.
The fire started last week near the town of Geyserville in Sonoma county, north of San Francisco, and has scorched about 120 square miles, destroying 141 homes and threatening 90,000 structures.
Most of those evacuated after the fire started last week have been now allowed to return home.
Here’s California Senator and 2020 Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Incredibly thankful for our brave first responders and firefighters who are putting their lives on the line to battle these blazes and save our communities.pic.twitter.com/iHdPXvIh5W
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 31, 2019
The wind-driven wildfire fire in San Bernardino, southern California, meanwhile, which broke out just hours ago, has destroyed or damaged six homes so far.
San Bernardino county fire chief Don Trapp says about 500 homes have been evacuated since the fire started in foothills before dawn. The strong, dry seasonal easterly winds drove it down into the city.
In the nearby city of Jurupa Valley, an early morning blaze has grown to 150 acres.
Fires are burning or smoldering to the west, northwest and east of the Los Angeles metropolis with the risk of new blazes sparking remaining extremely high this hour.
Homes burn in San Bernardino as fire sweeps into neighborhood; evacuations orderedhttps://t.co/0eBeM9rrNE @Hannahnfry @latvives
— Richard Winton (@LAcrimes) October 31, 2019
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It’s the climate crisis
Feels pertinent to re-up this tweet from 2020 Democratic candidate Julián Castro.
In 2016, the Reagan Library hosted a GOP primary debate—in which Republicans questioned if climate change even existed.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) October 30, 2019
Now, the library is threatened by wildfires more intense than ever before, due to climate change. https://t.co/9guO1gftuS
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Two fires east of Los Angeles, others still burning or smoldering
The Hillside fire in San Bernardino has so far forced the evacuation of 490 homes and approximately 1,300 people, with the fire at 200 acres and growing.
In neighboring Riverside county, evacuation orders were issued for homes around a 75-acre fire in the city of Jurupa Valley, the AP reports.
Three residences and two outbuildings were confirmed destroyed by the county’s fire department. That fire came after another fire Wednesday in Jurupa Valley forced the evacuation of two mobile home parks and a psychiatric nursing care facility, before the spread was stopped.
“There was one moment when I could see nothing but dark smoke and I was like, ‘We’re going to die,’” said Qiana McCracken, the assistant director of nursing for the Riverside Heights Healthcare Center.
After the Easy fire broke out early Wednesday near Simi Valley, northwest of LA, 30,000 people had to evacuate, although some were allowed home last night.
Crews remained at the scene, near the undamaged Reagan presidential library, which is now like an island in a soot-black sea, spokeswoman Melissa Giller said.
Nearby residents had little time to heed evacuation orders yesterday.
Resident Elena Mishkanian was able to gather only some basics. Her son, Troy, 13, netted six pet fish from a tank and put them in pots.
Frightened horses screamed in a nearby barn as Beth Rivera used a garden hose to water down the edges of her home, and friends helped evacuate 11 horses.
The utility Southern California Edison filed a report with state regulators to say the Easy fire began near its power lines. Electrical equipment has sparked some of California’s worst wildfires. SoCal Edison has so far not cut power in the area.
Pacific Gas & Electric, cut power to millions in northern California in the last week, but damaged power lines may still have started the Kincade fire in Sonoma county.
The latest report this morning is that the Kincade fire is now 45% contained.
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Second new wildfire breaks out east of Los Angeles
While the new Hillside fire is burning in a northern part of San Bernardino, there is also a fire now burning less than 20 miles away in Jurupa Valley, in Riverside county.
There was a fire in Jurupa Valley yesterday but now another one has broken out, the Associated Press indicates. This is all happening 50 to 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, in southern California.
You can check out all the Guardian’s coverage, with news reports, live blogs and comment pieces from the last few days and beyond, by clicking on our California page and taking your pick of stories from our ace reporters on the spot out west as well as top opinion-formers and experts such as Rebecca Solnit and Bill McKibben, discussing issues such as the habitability of the state and the unavoidable role of the climate crisis in the worsening wildfire events.
We have both a local and a zoomed out approach, depending on the piece, for our readers in the area, elsewhere in the US and across the globe.
The Santa Ana winds have been peaking in this 48-hour period and hopefully will tail off tonight.
“This is the last event in our near future. We are not expecting any Santa Anas next week,” weather service meteorologist Kristen Stewart told the Associated Press.
But she noted the forecast only extends out seven days. “Once we get past that, all bets are off.”
San Bernardino fire spreading fast
The National Weather Service warns that southern California is still at an extreme risk of fires starting and spreading all day today and into the evening.
The fire that broke out in a northern section of San Bernardino overnight is said to be spreading rapidly. Here is some citizen footage from the early hours.
#HillsideFire (San Bernardino) - IC reports fire is now 200 acres w/ rapid ROS & evacuations in progress. https://t.co/fon7wMO8ir
— CA Fire Scanner (@CAFireScanner) October 31, 2019
Watch what happened at 6:12 in @564FIREPhoto's broadcast: San Bernardino - Hillside Fire - 2#hillsidefire #californiafireshttps://t.co/xmpAd5umVd
— eg 🐕🐈🐇🐀🦡🐿🐎 (@eagdvm) October 31, 2019
Hero horse
This should melt the hardest heart. There appears to be some indecision on social media about whether this is a male or female horse galloping and neighing anxiously as it goes back towards danger to, apparently, guide its family to safety from the Easy fire near Simi Valley, California, yesterday.
No matter, it’s an incredible clip. This is a big ranching area, so many horses have been affected by the fire.
#EasyFire this will warm your heart 💗 https://t.co/PrbzGtrwXN
— Sherrie Henderson (@1NanaBNana1) October 31, 2019
Fire in San Bernardino zero percent contained
The latest news from the Hillside fire in San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, is that it is burning fiercely, sparked by fast and powerful Santa Ana winds whipping up early this morning.
The local media outlet, the San Bernardino Sun, reports:
#HillsideFire update as of 6 am:
— The Sun (@sbsun) October 31, 2019
- #Wildfire in #SanBernardino has burned 200 acres, 0% contained
- Mandatory #evacuations in place that affect about 1,300 people
- At least 18 homes damaged or destroyed by #fire
- #Highway18 closed from 40th St to Hwy 138https://t.co/t2Rnx4ft5W
Mandatory evacuations are in place near Highway 18, according to the Sun, which also has a local map if you click through to the full article.
This map shows the location of the Hillside fire burning in San Bernardino https://t.co/Gqe8u9aBqr
— The Sun (@sbsun) October 31, 2019
And here’s a very recent report from the local California Highway Patrol.
⚠️ State Route 18 is closed again from Lower Waterman Canyon to State Route 138 due to a vegetation fire just west of Highway 18. Please use alternate routes and avoid the area ⚠️#californiahighwaypatrol #safetyservicesecurity #avoidthearea #wildfire #sr18closed #crestline pic.twitter.com/lGkVEpVLxV
— CHP Arrowhead (@CHPArrowhead) October 31, 2019
New wildfire ignites east of Los Angeles overnight
Good Morning, wildfire watchers. It’s a hellish Halloween for more than 20 million Californians affected by blazes that, at varying levels, continue to burn out of control.
We’ll be watching events throughout the day as the tinderbox situation unfolds, with the strongest Santa Ana winds in a decade likely still around peak strength until the evening in southern California.
Here’s where things stand. There have been no direct fire fatalities so far:
- Another new brushfire sparked overnight. This one in San Bernardino, a city of just over 200,000 people located around 60 miles east of Los Angeles. It’s been dubbed the Hillside fire. It broke out near Waterman Canyon at the northern end of town in the early hours.
- The San Bernardino Police Department has announced the opening of a temporary shelter at the Pacific High School, asking on Twitter for people evacuating from the path of the fire to report to the gymnasium.
- The Easy fire that began burning early Wednesday near Simi Valley, north-west of LA, came within about 50 feet of the Ronald Reagan presidential library, but the building has so far emerged unscathed.
- LA area is being gradually ringed by fires, what with the new Hillside fire, the Easy fire, the Getty fire that began on Monday to the west of the metropolis, near the Getty art museum, and last week the Santa Clarita Valley to the north was burning with the Tick fire.
- In northern California wine country, firefighters have made headway against the largest fire that has been burning in the state - the Kincade fire in Sonoma county. It was reported 30% contained late Wednesday and is now burning into its seventh day. It was only 5% contained a couple days ago. The fire has destroyed 189 houses and 76,000 acres.
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