Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the U.S. Forest Service on Monday said it was closing all eight national forests in the southern half of the state.
#CreekFire This is what #YosemitePark looks like. @YosemiteNPS pic.twitter.com/DnJO603do0
— Viviana Tirado 🌸 (@VTiradoM) September 7, 2020
Two of the three largest fires in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area.
More than 14,000 firefighters are battling those fires and dozens of others.
View of wildfires from Sentinel Dome in Yosemite at ~8,100 feet. It was about 3pm. #creekfire #wildfires #YosemiteNationalPark pic.twitter.com/ZixKy8JXpf
— Naureen Malik (@naurtorious) September 6, 2020
“The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire.”
NO FILTER: Due to the Creek Fire, Yosemite National Park has issued a fire advisory for areas south of Chinquapin.
— KRON4 News (@kron4news) September 7, 2020
📷: Gina Marie Woodardhttps://t.co/6CbZ2TehNb pic.twitter.com/hqFDSF6xpS
Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it’s “unnerving” to have reached a record for acreage burned when September and October usually are the worst for fires because vegetation has dried out and high winds are more common. The previous high was 1.96 million acres burned in 2018. Cal Fire began tracking the numbers in 1987.
A three-day heat wave brought triple-digit temperatures to much of the state during Labor Day weekend.
But right behind it was a weather system with dry winds that could fan fires.
One major blaze was ignited during a gender reveal party Saturday, and iconic landmarks are looking apocalyptic as fires approach.