California Wildfire Burns More Than 900 Acres and Prompts Evacuations

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

By Livia Albeck-Ripka

A fast-growing fire near South Yuba River State Park in Nevada County, Calif., about 70 miles northeast of Sacramento, has grown to more than 900 acres in two days, prompting evacuation orders for hundreds of residents of nearby communities, the authorities said Thursday.

The blaze, named the Rices fire, is one of more than 50 large wildfires and complexes that have burned across parts of the United States so far this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Those fires have collectively burned more than two million acres in 12 states, the center said.

Wildfires are increasing in size and intensity in the Western United States, and their seasons are growing longer. Recent research has suggested that heat and dryness associated with climate change are factors in the increase in bigger and stronger fires.

The Rices fire began in a structure at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the authorities. As of Thursday afternoon, it was about 12 percent contained and was threatening 250 structures, they said.



A Cal Fire crew arriving to battle the Rices Fire as it burned over Troost Trail on Tuesday in North San Juan, Calif.Credit...Elias Funez/The Union, via Associated Press

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/30/us/california-rices-fire.html

[usonian]

2. Best source of fire info

https://fire.ca.gov
Cal Fire Incident Map

This incident
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/6/28/rices-fire/

Causes take time to determine.

[Beatlelvr]

3. You know, there are 2 huge fires in N M

And no one is talking about them. Mostly in forested areas. The Calf Canyon and the Black. Both over 300K acres.

[Bayard]

5. I know

Like Ukraine, they've become old news.

[TeamProg]

4. "They're here" n/t

[Lil Liberal Laura]

6. "Increasing in size and intensity" + "their seasons are growing longer"

Gee, it almost sounds like, like, golly, it almost sounds like the climate itself is messed up!

[pfitz59]

8. I grew up in that environment

all the natural vegetation is fire adapted. Normal life cycle for the region. What's changed since I was a kid is more people moving into fire-prone areas. Chopping up land into 'postage stamp estates'. Smart folks follow CalFire guidance and fire-proof their homes and property. Naive folks leave the vegetation because it's 'pretty' and refuse to modify their homes because it's not.

[hunter]

9. As a frequent visitor to the Sierra, and having family who live there...

... it's very clear that global warming is increasing the danger.

This danger goes beyond the interruption of natural fire cycles and more people moving into fire-prone areas.

Within the last few years sequoia killing wildfires have come within three miles of my wife's family's home and just three houses away from a home my parents own.

The California flora and fauna I knew as a kid have moved very perceptibly north and up slope in the six decades I've been on this earth.

Some of the pine forests and oak woodlands I knew as a kid are never coming back once they've burned.