CA Fires Latest: Diablo, Santa Ana Winds Return; 4.1M Acres Burn

CALIFORNIA — Cal Fire increased staffing Wednesday to look out for potential sparks across the state as red flag warnings and warm weather returned to California. High winds and a dry heat pattern could hamper firefighting efforts Wednesday, as 11,000 first responders continued to battle 20 wildfires across the state.

The National Weather Service upgraded its fire weather watch to red flag warnings for many parts of Northern California due to "critical fire weather." A cold front has crept in through the north, bringing diablo winds and low humidity Wednesday through Friday.

Some 50,000 PG&E customers in 21 counties could experience power shutoffs Wednesday as the utility will potentially activate Public Safety Power Shutoffs amid fire-favoring weather.

"Strong offshore winds will be gusty," the National Weather Service tweeted Tuesday. "Especially at higher elevations with dry conditions prevalent."


READ MORE: PG&E Public Safety Shutoff Could Impact 9K Napa County Customers


Fire officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Californians on Monday that the state was headed for another bout of critical fire weather all over the state, bringing Santa Ana winds to the south and diablo winds to the north with no rain in sight.

Californians will see gusts around 20-25 mph, with some areas potentially experiencing gusts up to 60 mph, Cal Fire said Tuesday.

Cal Fire said just 13 of the 20 wildfires were still considered "major," as many of the devastating fires that dominated California in weeks past have been contained to more than 90 percent.

On Tuesday, firefighters responded to 24 new wildfires, all of which were quickly put out.


READ MORE: Brace For Possible Power Shutoffs This Week: PG&E


Newsom said the utility was working on protocols around power shutoffs and partnerships with the cities and counties and with Cal OES and Cal Fire.

The deadly Zogg Fire, which killed four people, was 100 percent contained Tuesday after burning for weeks.

Cal Fire was investigating PG&E in connection to the cause of the Zogg Fire. The fire agency has taken some of the utility's equipment as part of its investigation, PG&E said Friday.

This news comes just months after PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2018 Camp Fire — the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In the California's worst-ever fire season, several records were smashed as more than 4 million acres have burned in 2020, more than double the amount of any other fire season. The August Complex Fire also surpassed 1 million acres last weekend, becoming the largest single wildfire in state history.

The August Complex Fire was 77 percent contained Wednesday.

During this catastrophic fire year, more than 9,200 structures have been destroyed across the state, and 31 people have died.

A dry landscape, combined with persistent and historically high temperatures this year, have kept the state in an extended fire season. California may be in for a dry winter as La Nina conditions have been forecast, which could keep the state in a relatively warm and arid weather pattern.

California's largest-ever fire season may not be over until November.

Many of the fires that devastated California communities just weeks ago were not expected to grow any larger, Cal Fire officials said Saturday, but these fires won't be fully extinguished until the state sees some rainfall.

The devastating Glass Fire, burning in Napa and Sonoma counties, has consumed more than 1,555 structures.

The fire has also destroyed historic landmarks and famed wineries along Silverado Trail, nestled within Napa Valley.

A 120-year-old home at Tofaneli Vineyard and the 41-year-old Chateau Boswell Winery, along with many other family-owned wineries were lost in the Glass Fire.


SEE ALSO: Oakland Zoo Treats Mountain Lion Cub Badly Burned In Zogg Fire


This historic fire year points to what Cal Fire, environmental scientists and some politicians have been warning about all along: climate change.

Newsom has repeatedly urged constituents and fellow politicians in his daily news briefings to look at the data behind rising temperatures in California and how temperatures have contributed to the growth of fire seasons over the years.

"Data and science are not beliefs," Newsom said during a mid-September news conference. "You have to acknowledge facts."

In 2020 alone, some 8,500 fires have scorched 4.1 million acres.

And since Aug. 15, when a series of unseasonal dry lightning storms ignited dozens of major fires, the state has been breaking records for acres burned at a rapid pace.

Cal Fire offers a website to help people prepare for and prevent wildfires. Ready For Wildfires can be accessed here.


As fire season rages on, new records continue to be set.

Cal Fire says these new records have been recorded this season:

  • 5 of the Top 20 largest wildfires in California History have occurred in 2020.

  • Largest Wildfires - #1 August Complex, #3 SCU Lightning Complex, #4 LNU Lightning Complex, #5 North Complex, and #6 Creek Fire.

  • Most Destructive - #5 North Complex, #10 LNU Lightning Complex, #11 CZU Lightning Complex, and #17 Creek Fire.

  • Deadliest Wildfires - #5 North Complex and #20 LNU Lightning Complex.


SEE ALSO: Discovery Channel Partners With Cal Fire In New Series


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

**CALFIRE Incidents**

Zogg Fire, Shasta County (more info…) (FINAL)
Southwest of Redding
*56,338 acres, 100% contained
*4 Fatalities
*204 structures destroyed.

Butte/Tehama/Glenn (BTU/TGU) Lightning Complex, multiple Counties (more info…)
Butte, Tehama and Glenn Counties
*19,609 acres, 97% contained
*14 structures destroyed
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
**Unified Command Incidents**

Glass Fire, Napa and Sonoma County (more info…)
4 miles east of Calistoga
*67,484 acres, 97% contained
*Evacuation orders and warnings in place
*1,555 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Team 3 in command.

Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*337,655 acres, 55% contained
*Evacuations in place
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*856 structures destroyed
*Northern Rockies Team 4 is in command of the North Zone and California Interagency Incident Command Team 14 is in command of the South Zone.

SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
3 miles east of Giant Sequoia National Monument
*167,625 acres, 70% contained
*Evacuation order and warnings remain in place
*232 structures destroyed
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 in unified command with CAL FIRE.
**Coordinated Command Incidents**

August Complex, Tehama County (more info…)
Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity Counties
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*1,029,110 acres, 77% contained
*South Zone 548,295 acres
*North East Zone 270,336 acres
*North West Zone 69,957 acres
*West Zone 140,552 acres
*1 fatality
*210 structures destroyed
*Includes multiple fires including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar, and Doe fires
*The fire is being managed in four zones by 4 national Incident Management Team and CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 5.
**Federal Incidents**

North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Northeast of Oroville to southwest of Quincy (Plumas National Forest)
*318,930 acres, 94% contained
*15 fatalities
*2,342 structures destroyed.

Slater Fire, Siskiyou County, (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*156,417 acres, 78% contained
*2 fatalities.

Devil Fire, Siskiyou County, (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*8,849 acres, 58% contained.

Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,670 acres, 85% contained.

Red Salmon Complex – Humboldt County (more info…)
14 miles northeast of Willow Creek (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
*141,820 acres, 62% contained.

Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*6,334 acres, 50% contained.

Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*1,818 acres, 60% contained.

Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*694 acres, 69% contained.

Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*5,765 acres, 30% contained.

Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*124,924 acres, 99% contained.

Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,759 acres, 90% contained.

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

Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*115,796 acres, 92% containment.

Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*1,185 acres, 60% contained.

El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*22,744 acres, 95% contained
*1 fatality.


This article originally appeared on the Across California Patch