By Aaron Miller-
A wild fire in Northern California has forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes as the US fights 96 large active fires that have scorched nearly two million acres.
This above-average wildfire season is predicted to continue through September – or maybe longer.
The River Fire, raging in Nevada and Placer counties in California, has destroyed or damaged an estimated 40 structures since it started Wednesday, CalFire Deputy Chief Jim Hudson said during a news briefing. It has already torn through 1,400 acres and was not contained at all Wednesday evening.
In Placer County, nearly 2,400 people are under evacuation, Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Nelson Resendes said.
In Nevada County, thousands of residents are under an evacuation order or warning, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said.
“If you receive an evacuation warning, please go. And if you receive an order, get out. Do not take your chances … We do not need you in there; you’re taking your life in your hands,” Placer County Sheriff Devon Bell said Wednesday at the news conference.
“The Dixie Fire pushed into Greenville Wednesday and early indications are there has been significant damage,” California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services spokesman Brian Ferguson told CNN in a phone interview.
Residents of the town were warned to evacuate immediately.
“If you are still in the Greenville area, you are in imminent danger and you MUST leave now!! … If you remain, emergency responders may not be able to assist you,” the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office said in a message.
In an emotional video posted on Facebook, U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa — who represents the area where the Dixie Fire is burning — said more needs to be done, and more attention needs to be paid to what the fires are doing.
“We lost Greenville tonight. And there’s just not words for how us in government haven’t been able to get the job done,” La Malfa said. “We will take up the fight even harder. And more so, we got to win this; we got to stop this. We got to get DC to pay attention, we got to get Sacramento to pay attention.
“Forget the politics, forget the nonsense. We have to stop making this happen by inattention to what is obvious,” LaMalfa said.
Currently, there are 11 large active fires in the Golden State that have seared 425,944 acres so far, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
North of the border, in British Columbia, Canada, 292 wildfires were actively burning , with 122 falling under the out of control, castegory the British Columbia Wildfire Dashboard showed.
Two homes have been destroyed in the Mana Road Fire, Hawaii’s largest wildfire on record, the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said.
The fire has burned between 40,000 and 50,00 acres, with gusts that topped 50 mph over the weekend, Mike Walker, Fire Protection Forester with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife said.
The fire is now 75% contained, but the fight isn’t over, Walker said. “Firefighters will probably be there a few more days securing the line and tending to any hotspots they find.”