35 Dead In Wildfires; President: 'It'll Start Getting Cooler'

CALIFORNIA — As the Golden State maintained a thick veil of smoke Tuesday, thousands of first responders battled the millions of acres burning in the firestorm that has killed at least 35 people along the West Coast. President Donald Trump left the state Monday, informing officials that forest management was to blame for the catastrophic season, not climate change.

"I don't think science knows, actually," the president said, without a mask, in response to a room full of forestry and fire officials, when told his remarks conflicted with overwhelming scientific consensus.

In the same meeting, Gov. Gavin Newsom politely reminded the president 57 percent of the forest land in California is federally owned.

The fires are threatening to become another front in Trump’s reelection bid, which is already facing hurdles because of the coronavirus pandemic, joblessness and social unrest. His Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, in his own speech on Monday, said the destruction and mounting death toll across California, Oregon and Washington require stronger presidential leadership and labeled Trump a “climate arsonist,” The Associated Press reported.

California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, also weighed in on the topic of climate change Monday as well, urging that it is a public health emergency.

"The toll of the natural disaster we face from unprecedented wildfires is increasingly measured in human life," Becerra tweeted Monday. "How many wake-up calls do our nation's leaders need to take climate action?"

Newsom also met with evacuees from the North Complex Fire Monday, where 261,488 acres have burned in the Plumas and Butte counties. Hundreds have evacuated from the surrounding communities and two have died in the blazes.

In California alone, 2020's firestorm has burned more than 3.3 million acres heading into the week, caused 24 deaths and destroyed more than 4,100 structures, Cal Fire reports.

While weather conditions in the state were closer to what they are normally in late summer, compared with last week, firefighters were monitoring the forecast closely as Monday was predicted to bring elevated fire risk, yet again.

Trump’s suggestion that the planet is going to start to unexpectedly cool is at odds with reality, experts say.

“Maybe there is a parallel universe where a pot on the stove with the burner turned to high ‘starts getting cooler.’ But that is not our universe,” said Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field.

Biden lashed at Trump, saying the moment requires “leadership, not scapegoating” and that “it’s clear we are not safe in Donald Trump’s America."

“This is another crisis, another crisis he won’t take responsibility for,” Biden said. He said that if voters give “a climate denier” another four years in the White House, “why would we be surprised that we have more of America ablaze?”

A fire weather watch was in effect Monday over the Northern Sierra, potentially impacting the North Complex with gusty winds.

A red flag warning was also in effect Monday afternoon through this evening due to gusty winds and low humidity for much of Northeastern California.

"With the changes in weather conditions, we may see the return of critical fire next week," Cal Fire said.

Residents of the Golden State were hard-pressed to find refuge from poor air quality and heavily hazed skies over the weekend. Satellite images showed the Golden State almost completely blanketed in smoke from massive wildfires raging across the West Coast.

Bay Area residents finally woke up to relief from ominous orange skies Monday after several days of dark atmosphere and dangerous air quality.

But the lingering smoke was not expected to clear in some areas for several days.

Experts are now calling this fire season the largest on record for the state. And while Cal Fire has said that 95 percent of wildfires are sparked by human recreational activities, experts and politicians are pointing to the escalation of the overarching issue at hand — climate change.

Democratic governors of all three of the Western states with massive fires burning have repeatedly emphasized that rising climates are the reason for this catastrophic wildfire season.

Other politicians — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — took to Twitter over the weekend to voice their concerns over the "climate crisis" in California as striking photos of orange skies and odd weather surfaced around the web, garnering massive attention.

"The West Coast has been punched over and over again by heat waves and scorching winds that have turned wildfires into infernos and air into sludge," Warren tweeted Sunday. "People made this #ClimateCrisis — and people must fight it now to save our planet."

Trump is slated to arrive in Sacramento on Monday to assess the damage of the state's largest wildfire season on record.

The White House tweeted Saturday that Trump will meet with local and federal fire and emergency officials on the the state's wildfires.

READ MORE: Trump To Visit California To Assess Wildfire Devastation

As of Sunday, more than 16,750 firefighters were up against dozens of major wildfires that continued to burn out of control.

First responders continued to search for dozens of missing people amid the catastrophic blazes, which have claimed 20 lives.

The August Complex had swelled to 846,812 acres Saturday, becoming the largest wildfire in California's modern history. The burned acreage surpassed the other lightning complex fires as fire officials reclassified several different fires, including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow and Vinegar fires under the August Complex.

As temperatures dropped following a searing heat wave, crews began to make progress on fires that eluded firefighting abilities earlier in the week. Of the 13 new wildfires that cropped up Friday, only one in Siskiyou County burned out of initial control.

While weather conditions have improved immensely since last week, with humidity levels expected to rise in the coming days, Cal Fire warned that "critical fire weather" was expected to return next week.

In light of an understaffed fire season that overwhelmed firefighters, Newsom signed AB 2147 into law, allowing former inmates an opportunity to expunge their records and pursue a career in fire. Those convicted of certain violent or sex crimes will not be eligible.

READ MORE: Newsom Signs Bill Allowing Former Prisoners To Become Firefighters

California officials said the state is facing some of the worst fires to ever impact the West Coast.

"This year’s fire season has been a record-breaking year, in not only the total amount of acres burned, but 6 of the top 20 largest wildfires in California history have occurred in 2020," Cal Fire said in its daily fire briefing memo.

And it's not just the Golden State that's burning.

In Oregon, officials were preparing for a possible "mass fatality event," as dozens of people have gone missing since more than 40,000 people have been evacuated with 500,000 more in different levels of evacuation zones, the Associated Press reported.

In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee said nearly 627,000 acres had burned since Sept. 7, edging the state toward its second-worst fire season on record in less than a week, the Washington Post reported.

The August Complex, which started Aug. 17 during a lightning storm, is now officially the largest fire recorded in California history, according to Cal Fire. The fire was initially 37 separate blazes, but after fire officials reclassified the Elkhorn and Hopkins fires Friday, the complex had collectively burned an astounding 877,477 acres, with 28 percent containment Monday.

It has burned more than 26 structures and caused one known death.

The SCU Lightning Complex, which started Aug. 18, is now the third-largest fire ever in California. It's burned more than 396,624 acres in parts of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties as of Thursday.

Now the fourth-largest fire in California, the LNU Lightning Complex started Aug. 17, is now the ninth most destructive wildfire in state history. It has burned through parts of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano counties. It's burned 363,220 acres. Five people have been killed in that complex, and another five injuries have been reported.

SEE ALSO: 14 Dramatic Photos Of California Wildfires This Week

Coming in at the 10th-largest fire is the North Complex, burning in Plumas, Butte and Yuba counties. Three people have died and 10,000 structures have been destroyed in that fire, which started Aug. 18 and has burned 261,488 acres.

And the Creek Fire —which is burning in Fresno and Madera counties — was at the 17th-largest fire in state history over the weekend after just starting Sept. 4. It's 10 percent contained and has burned 212,744,893 acres.

Here's more on some of the major fires burning as of Tuesday, via Cal Fire:

**CAL FIRE Incidents**
Willow Fire, Yuba County (more info…)
Willow Glen Road, Dobbins
*1,311 acres, 92% contained
*Evacuations in progress

Oak Fire, Mendocino County (more info…)
North of Willits
*1,100 acres, 95% contained
*Evacuations in place

LNU Lightning Complex, multiple North Bay counties (more info…)
Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Colusa, Solano, and Yolo Counties
*363,220 acres, 97% contained
*Hennessey (merged fires) 305,651 acres, 95% contained
*Wallbridge 55,209 acres, 95% contained
*1,491 structures destroyed
*Evacuations in place
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 2 in command

SCU Lightning Complex, multiple Easy Bay counties (more info…)
Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara San Joaquin, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties
*396,624 acres, 98% contained
*20 fires in the complex, several have merged together
*Evacuations and road closures in place
*224 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 command

CZU August Lightning Complex, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties (more info…)
*86,509 acres, 91% contained
*Multiple fires
*Evacuations and road closures in place
*1,490 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 3 command

Schoolhouse, Siskiyou County (more info…)
Schoolhouse Gap Road, north of Fort Jones
*45 acres, grass and brush, 80% contained
*Forward spread stopped

**Unified Command Incidents**
North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Southwest of Susanville (Plumas National Forest)
*269,218 acres, 39% contained
*Evacuations in place
*Includes the Bear and Claremont Fire
*CAL FIRE Team 4 is now in unified command with US Forest Service IMT Team 4

Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*220,0225 acres, 16% contained
*Evacuations in effect
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*CAL FIRE and US Forest Service in unified command
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1
*Great Basin Team 1

Valley Fire, San Diego County (more info…)
Near Alpine (Cleveland National Forest)
*17,665 acres, 87% contained
*Evacuations in effect
*CAIIMT 15 in command
*CAL FIRE and US Forest Service in unified command

READ MORE: Valley Fire: 17,665 Acres Burned, 32% Contained In East County

El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*14,478 acres, 44% contained
*Evacuations in place
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 11 in unified command with CAL FIRE, Yucaipa Fire Department and San Bernardino County Fire Department

READ MORE: More Evacuations Ordered Due To Eldorado Fire

Butte/Tehama/Glenn (BTU/TGU) Lightning Complex, multiple Counties (more info…)
Butte, Tehama and Glenn Counties
*19,609 acres, 97% contained
*Includes multiple other smaller fires
*Decrease in acres as Elkhorn was removed from the Complex and made its own fire.
*16 structures destroyed

**Federal Incidents**

August Complex, Tehama County (more info...)
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*755,603 acres 30% contained
*Merged fires including Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, and Vinegar
*Includes multiple fires including the Doe Fire
*A California Interagency incident Management Team and Great Basin Team in command
*A CAL FIRE Incident Management Team is deployed on the west zone of the fire.

Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,752 acres, 7% contained
*Evacuation orders remain in place

Slater Fire/Devil Fires, Siskiyou County, (more info…)
*136,030 acres, timber, 10% contained
*Evacuations orders in place

Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte
Angeles National Forest
*36,366 acres, 6% containment
*Evacuations in progress
*EA Silver Team command

READ MORE: Arcadia Residents Evacuated As Bobcat Fire Races Westward

Lake Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
Southwest of Lake Hughes
Angeles National Forest / Los Angeles County Fire Department
* 31,089 acres, 96% contained

Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*119,488 acres, 40% contained
*Structures threatened
*Type 1 NW Team 2 (Allen) in command

Apple Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Oak Glen/Cherry Valley (San Bernardino National Forest)
*33,424 acres, 95% contained

Red Salmon Complex – Humboldt County (more info…)
14 miles northeast of Willow Creek (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
*91,743 acres, 18% contained

SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
25 miles north of Kernville (Sequoia National Forest)
*107,101 acres, 12% contained
*Castle and Shotgun Fires merged into this complex

W-5 Cold Springs, Lassen County (more info…)
11 miles east of Madeline (Bureau of Land Management - Northern CA District)
*84,817 acres, 98% containment

Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*3,350 acres, 20% contained

Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*828 acres, 10% contained

Woodward Fire, Marin County (more info…)
3 miles southwest of Olema (Point Reyes National Seashore)
*4,910 acres, 95% contained

Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,709 acres, 60% contained

Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*558 acres, 70% contained

Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*1,441 acres, 0% contained

Patch staffers Renee Schiavone and Kat Schuster contributed to this report as did The Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on the Across California Patch