In California: Apocalyptic orange skies and dramatic rescues as fires rage
Plus: COVID concerns prompt L.A. to (nearly) cancel Halloween. A restaurant is fined $5,000 for flouting pandemic rules. And local radio fills a void
Howdy. I'm Rebecca Plevin, immigration reporter for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs.
More than 90 major fires are raging in 13 Western states, with around 40 of them in the Golden State. While we awoke to blue skies and unseasonably cool temperatures here in the California desert, much of the state remained engulfed in smoke on Wednesday.
"It is like the sun never came out today or that the sun burned out entirely and no longer exists," my dad texted me from his home in San Francisco, where photos shared on social media show apocalyptic orange skies. "It has been an all-day total eclipse of the sun."
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National forests closed, hundreds rescued as blazes burn statewide
The Creek Fire in Fresno and Madera counties has grown to more than 163,000 acres and remained at 0% containment on Wednesday afternoon. The blaze in the southern Sierra Nevada has been intensified by the state's historic drought that ended in 2017 and left an "incendiary supply of dry fuel," according to The Fresno Bee.
The fire has damaged or destroyed more than 365 structures, including Cressman's General Store in Shaver Lake, which has been a popular halfway stop along Highway 168 for bicyclists, motorcyclists, skiers and RV enthusiasts since the booming days of the logging industry at the turn of the 20th century, according to The Bee.
It also spurred some dramatic rescues. The California Army National Guard rescued a total of 373 people, including hikers and campers, and 16 dogs from the Sierra Nevada as of Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The North Complex Fire in Northern California, which includes the Bear Fire, is threatening Butte County communities including Paradise, which was devastated in the 2018 Camp Fire, the L.A. Times reports.
More San Bernardino County residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday afternoon due to the fast-moving El Dorado Fire, which was sparked by a gender-reveal party.
All 18 national forests in California were slated to temporarily close due to "unprecedented and historic fire conditions throughout the state."
Not-so-sweet news about Halloween 2020
Los Angeles County health officials are "recommending that trick-or-treating not happen this year," the L.A. Times reports. They are also not recommending "trunk-or-treat" events, where kids walk from car to car in a parking lot.
Health officials cited concerns that holiday revelers won't practice social distancing. They're also worried about the potential for gatherings beyond household members.
They are instead encouraging online parties, car parades that comply with vehicle parade protocols and Halloween nights at drive-in movie theaters that meet health and safety standards.
Halloween meals at outdoor restaurants, Halloween-themed art installations at art museums and decorating homes and yards are still allowed, as long as they comply with the county's COVID-19 protocols.
Some were disappointed by the news. One mother-to-be pointed out that trick-or-treating is an outdoor activity, which is generally considered safer than indoor events.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn pushed back against the county guidance, saying, "even a pandemic can't cancel Halloween." She added: "In fact, it's the only day of the year we were expected to wear masks before this crisis started."
Local radio fills a vacuum during crises
I loved these two stories about scrappy local radio stations that provide critical information to communities during crises.
A one-studio public radio station in a tiny Marin County town has provided people with vital information amid local emergencies, the L.A. Times reported.
KWMR serves the 14,000-resident town of Point Reyes Station. "With their local knowledge — from where exactly back roads are located to quick access to the fire chief — these broadcasters are increasingly finding themselves to be crucial authorities in the toughest moments, when power is out, danger is high and a radio wavelength floating through the air is a lifeline," the Times wrote.
And in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, Radio Indígena is informing indigenous migrant farmworkers about the pandemic.
The station is run by a nonprofit that supports indigenous communities. Its goal of filling information gaps has become even more important this year, the Ventura County Star reports, "as many workers face a daunting choice: perform essential labor in the fields and risk contracting the virus or go without money to pay rent and feed their families."
7 killed on illegal pot farm; Palm Springs fines restaurant $5K for opening amid pandemic
A mass killing. An illegal marijuana growing operation where seven people were fatally shot in Aguanga, a rural Riverside County town, had the markings of organized crime, the Associated Press reported.
A big fine for a renegade restaurant. The City of Palm Springs fined a restaurant $5,000 after it allowed customers to dine indoors as part of a "peaceful protest" against the state's coronavirus restrictions. "I can't survive with the current mandates," the tearful owner told a Desert Sun reporter.
Flouting guidelines? State Sen. Shannon Grove, who represents parts of Tulare County and is the Republican leader in the state Senate, attended a Christian music concert and religious gathering in Sacramento on Sept. 6, less than two weeks after being exposed to the coronavirus virus by a colleague who had tested positive, the A.P. reported. Public health guidelines say people exposed to the virus should isolate for two weeks, even if they test negative for the disease.
That's all for Wednesday. Forecasters say a change in the weather might be in store, improving conditions for firefighters. Let's hope so.
In California is a roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: The Los Angeles Times, The Fresno Bee and the Associated Press.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California fires bring orange skies, dramatic rescues; restaurant fined $5,000
