This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/16/california-wildfire-weed-evacuations-yosemite-firefighters

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Weed wildfire forces thousands of Californians to leave their homes Weed wildfire forces thousands of Californians to leave their homes
(about 2 hours later)
Dan Linville and his son were sitting in their living room when they smelled smoke. When they looked outside, they saw a black cloud coming over the hills. Fire crews aided by calmer winds and aircraft knocked down a wildfire Tuesday that damaged or destroyed 100 homes and a church and forced more than 1,000 people to flee a small town near the Oregon border.
Ten minutes later, a fire driven by fierce winds raced through their neighborhood, missing them by three houses and torching a roof across the street. As crews put out remaining embers, the people of Weed wandered through scorched neighborhoods covered in pink fire retardant had been dropped by firefighting airplanes.
Officials said the fire damaged or destroyed 100 homes in this tiny town near the Oregon border on Monday and forced the evacuation of at least 1,500 people. Some homes were burned to the ground, with only chimneys left standing. Broken water pipes spurted over the blackened landscape. The remnants of the Holy Family Catholic Church were still smoking, marked by twisted metal girders lying on the ground.
The Linvilles figure a quarter of the town burned. The fast-moving blaze, which began Monday, was among nearly a dozen wildfires burning in California that have been exacerbated by the state’s third straight year of drought. The tinder-dry conditions have sent firefighters scrambling from blaze to blaze, almost nonstop.
Two fires, one near Yosemite National Park in central California and another east of Sacramento, also led hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.
In Weed, residents said they had just minutes before the flames engulfed them. Dan Linville and his son were sitting in their living room when they smelled smoke. Looking outside, they saw a black cloud coming over the hills.
A mere 10 minutes later, the wildfire driven by fierce winds raced through their neighborhood, missing them by three houses and torching a roof across the street.
No deaths or injuries were reported, but the Linvilles figure a quarter of the town burned.
“It’s horrible,” said Linville, 80. “I’ve got tears in my heart for all these people that I know who lost their homes.”“It’s horrible,” said Linville, 80. “I’ve got tears in my heart for all these people that I know who lost their homes.”
This scenic town of nearly 3,000 near the base of Mount Shasta in the Cascade Mountains was under siege from a 350-acre blaze. The fire erupted south of Weed in the afternoon; winds gusting up to 40mph pushed it into and around town, mowing a hillside neighborhood on the southeast side of town. Fire crews had a handle on the 375-acre fire Tuesday morning after it showed little growth overnight. It was 20% contained.
The town sawmill caught fire, and a Catholic church was destroyed. This scenic town of nearly 3,000 near the base of Mount Shasta in the Cascade Mountains had been under siege from the blaze. The fire erupted south of Weed, and winds gusting up to 40mph pushed it into town, where flames mowed through a hillside neighborhood.
Blowing embers started spot fires as much as a half-mile ahead of the fire front, and evacuations were called for about 1,500 to 2,000 people, said Allison Giannini, spokeswoman for the Siskiyou County sheriff’s department. The town sawmill also caught fire.
The winds began to ease late in the day, and the fire’s pace slowed. By dusk it was 15% contained, state fire spokeswoman Suzi Brady said. “It ran basically right through the east side of town. At the peak, essentially the entire town was evacuated,” state fire spokesman Robert Foxworthy said.
“We stopped the forward spread of the fire,” she said. Blowing embers started fires as much as a half-mile ahead of the fire front, and 1,500 to 2,000 people were told to evacuate, said Allison Giannini, spokeswoman for the Siskiyou County sheriff’s department.
By nightfall, some houses were burned to their foundation. The fire knocked out power to the area, and people were left wandering the town center with flashlights as the fire glowed up in the hills. The winds began to ease late in the day, and the fire’s pace slowed. Winds were expected to be calmer on Tuesday.
Violet Carter, a freshman at Weed High School, said when the fire alarm went off students thought they were shuffling to the campus baseball field for a fire drill. When the fire alarm went off at Weed High School, students thought they were shuffling to the campus baseball field for a fire drill.
“We eventually got out there and saw a big cloud of smoke. That whole hill was on fire,” she said. “We eventually got out there and saw a big cloud of smoke,” freshman Violet Carter said. “That whole hill was on fire.”
Randy Coates, who rushed to pick up his daughter when the high school evacuated, said he saw the town’s Catholic and Presbyterian churches, houses and backyards on fire. Driving by a wood mill, he saw piles of wood chips burning. Randy Coates, who rushed to pick up his daughter when the high school was evacuated, said he saw the town’s Catholic and Presbyterian churches, houses and backyards on fire. Driving by a wood mill, he saw piles of wood chips burning.
No deaths or injuries were reported. Brady said people were able to evacuate because they saw the fire on the hills.
Weed, historically a lumber town, was named after the founder of a mill, Abner Weed, who “discovered that the area’s strong winds were helpful in drying lumber”, according to the town’s website.Weed, historically a lumber town, was named after the founder of a mill, Abner Weed, who “discovered that the area’s strong winds were helpful in drying lumber”, according to the town’s website.
Meanwhile, firefighters were trying to gain better access to two raging wildfires that broke out on Sunday and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, including one in central California that destroyed 61 structures – 33 of them homes. Meanwhile, firefighters were trying to gain better access to two raging wildfires that broke out Sunday, including one in central California that destroyed 61 structures – 33 of them homes.
The fire near a foothill community south of an entrance to Yosemite National Park burned 320 acres, and was 35% contained. About 600 residents from 200 homes remained evacuated, said Madera County sheriff’s spokeswoman Erica Stuart. The fire near a foothill community south of an entrance to Yosemite National Park burned 320 acres, and was 40% contained. About 600 residents from 200 homes remained evacuated, Madera County sheriff’s spokeswoman Erica Stuart said.
The fire started off a road outside of Oakhurst, near Yosemite, and spread to Bass Lake, a popular year-round destination. The fire started off a road outside of Oakhurst, near Yosemite, and spread to Bass Lake, a popular year-round destination. Its cause was under investigation.
Two fire crews returning from 24 hours of fighting the fire got into a crash with a vehicle on Monday, state fire spokesman Ryan Michaels said. No firefighter was injured in the crash; three people in a Nissan that got pinned under a firetruck were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said California highway patrol officer Brad Simpson.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The blaze is the latest to hit the area, which is still reeling from another fire near downtown Oakhurst that destroyed eight structures earlier this summer.The blaze is the latest to hit the area, which is still reeling from another fire near downtown Oakhurst that destroyed eight structures earlier this summer.
“I really feel for this community, which has already been through a lot,” state fire spokesman Dennis Mathisen said. “This is yet another example of how the damaging effect of this drought has impacted California.”“I really feel for this community, which has already been through a lot,” state fire spokesman Dennis Mathisen said. “This is yet another example of how the damaging effect of this drought has impacted California.”
Farther north, a wildfire about 60 miles east of Sacramento forced the evacuation of 133 homes. El Dorado County sheriff’s officials said residents of an additional 406 homes were being told to prepare to flee.Farther north, a wildfire about 60 miles east of Sacramento forced the evacuation of 133 homes. El Dorado County sheriff’s officials said residents of an additional 406 homes were being told to prepare to flee.
More than 800 firefighters are battling the blaze, which started in a remote area Saturday but exploded Sunday when it reached a canyon full of thick, dry brush. It more than doubled in size to nearly 13.5 square miles, and was only 5% contained. More than 1,500 firefighters battled the blaze, which started in a remote area Saturday but exploded Sunday when it reached a canyon of thick, dry brush. It grew rapidly and by Tuesday morning had burned through more than 18 square miles. It was only 5% contained.
In southern California, a fire that forced the evacuation of 200 homes in Orange County’s Silverado Canyon over the weekend was started by the sun’s rays reflecting off sheet metal that edged a homeowner’s backyard garden, officials said Monday.
The fire started Friday and grew to 1.5 square miles, the US Forest Service said.