Fast-spreading wildfires blaze across Northern California
June 14, 2008
San Francisco, California (WiredPRNews.com) — Stories continue to pour in from across the nation reporting catastrophic devastation. Flooding and tornadoes in the Midwest are killing residents and flushing years of homes and family life into miles of muddy water. On the west coast of the country, fires are paralyzing the scenic landscape forcing thousands of residents to flee.
In a breaking news report just issued by the Associated Press, powerful winds that continue to change direction are complicating efforts by firefighters to extinguish several blazes that are rapidly spreading across Norther California. The fire has now taken over more than 31 square miles threatening 4,600 structures, according to officials.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Joshpae White explained that the winds are causing the wildfires to spread up the hills of the Butte College campus. “The fire is jumping around quite a bit. It’s flaring up in a lot of different areas,” White said. With the fire only fifteen percent contained, it was reported that at least 20 homes have been demolished in Butte County as residents raced for safety on Friday morning.
James Eason, 28, a resident of Bonny Doon where at least 1,500 residents have been asked to evacuate said, “It’s stressful and frustrating. It makes you anxious not knowing if you’re going to have a place to go back to.” A determined team of approximately 900 firefighters have attempted to tackle the blaze although their efforts seem to be diminished by seemingly continuous fire hazards. This stream of blazes follows the last set of wildfires that broke out just two miles away in the Santa Cruz Mountains destroying nearly three dozen residences.
The Associated Press reports, “Across the country, authorities in North Carolina issued an air quality advisory for Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham through Friday after smoke from a wildfire burning in a wildlife refuge drifted westward.” According to officials, a substantial rainstorm is desperately needed without which firefighters are relatively powerless in putting an end to the devastation.
Wired Weather Reporter
