Wildfires ravaged US states get flash flood warning

"A significant heavy rainfall event" could strike Arizona and New Mexico states, leading to sudden inundations, especially in areas previously devastated by wildfires, federal forecaster warns.

A 'bathtub ring' of mineral deposits left by higher water levels is visible beyond Elephant Butte Dam at the drought-stricken Elephant Butte Reservoir near Truth or Consequences city in New Mexico. (AFP)

Drought-stricken parts of the western United States have been warned to be on alert for flash flooding, with up to 15 centimetres of rain expected in some areas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said on Friday that "a significant heavy rainfall event" could strike Arizona and New Mexico, leading to sudden inundations –– especially in areas previously ravaged by wildfires.

Very heavy rainfall is "forecast for portions of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico today and Saturday," the NWS said.

"Average rainfall totals of 2-3 inches, with locally higher amounts approaching 5-6 inches, may lead to numerous instances of flash flooding.

"Complex terrain, slot canyons, arroyos, and burn scars are especially vulnerable," the agency said.

Painful drought and climate crisis

The western United States is more than 20 years into a painful drought that has left rivers and reservoirs badly depleted, and the countryside tinder-dry.

But sudden, intense downpours like that forecast are not necessarily helpful.

"If the water all comes down over a very quick period of time, it'll run off," Chris Rasmussen, an NWS meteorologist in Tucson, Arizona, told AFP news agency.

"It doesn't get a chance to really soak into the ground, as you would like to see.

"It's always nicer to have a good, moderate amount of rain over a long period of time."

Human activity, specifically the runaway use of fossil fuels over the last century, has caused the Earth's average temperature to rise.

This has altered weather patterns, worsening droughts in some parts of the world, and intensifying storms in other areas.

Source: AFP

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Wildfires in western US explode in size amid windy conditions

Fast-moving McKinney fire in California state goes from charring just over one square kilometre to scorching as much as 160 square kilometres in a largely rural area near the Oregon state line, say fire officials.

Over 100 homes were ordered evacuated and authorities were warning people to be on high alert, officials say. (Reuters)

Wildfires in the US states of California and Montana have exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighbourhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes, while a blaze in Idaho state was spreading.

In California's Klamath National Forest, the fast-moving McKinney fire, which started on Friday, went from charring just over 1 square kilometre to scorching as much as 160 square kilometres by Saturday in a largely rural area near the Oregon state line, according to fire officials.

"It’s continuing to grow with erratic winds and thunderstorms in the area and we’re in triple digit temperatures," said Caroline Quintanilla, a spokesperson at Klamath National Forest.

Meanwhile in Montana, the Elmo wildfire nearly tripled in size to more than 28 square kilometres within a few miles of the town of Elmo. 

Roughly 320 kilometres to the south, Idaho residents remained under evacuation orders as the Moose Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest charred more than 174.8 square kilometres in timbered land near the town of Salmon. It was 17 percent contained.

A significant build-up of vegetation was fueling the McKinney fire, said Tom Stokesberry, a spokesperson with the US Forest Service for the region.

US House bill

McKinney's explosive growth forced crews to shift from trying to control the perimetre of the blaze to trying to protect homes and critical infrastructure like water tanks and power lines, and assist in evacuations in California’s northernmost county of Siskiyou.

Deputies and law enforcement were knocking on doors in the county seat of Yreka and the town of Fort Jones to urge residents to get out and safely evacuate their livestock onto trailers. Automated calls were being sent to land phone lines as well because there were areas without cell phone service.

Over 100 homes were ordered evacuated and authorities were warning people to be on high alert. Smoke from the fire caused the closure of portions of Highway 96.

The Pacific Coast Trail Association urged hikers to get to the nearest town while the US Forest Service closed a 177-kilometre section of the trail from the Etna Summit to the Mt. Ashland Campground in southern Oregon.

As fires raged across the West, the US House on Friday approved wide-ranging legislation aimed at helping communities in the region cope with increasingly severe wildfires and drought — fueled by climate change — that have caused billions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses in recent years.

The legislative measure approved by federal lawmakers combines 49 separate bills and would increase firefighter pay and benefits; boost resiliency and mitigation projects for communities affected by climate crisis; protect watersheds; and make it easier for wildfire victims to get federal assistance.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein has sponsored a similar measure.

Source: AP

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Evacuations underway amid fire near Yosemite National Park

A home burns as the Oak Fire moves through the area on July 23, 2022 near Mariposa, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images

A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control through tinder-dry forest on Sunday and had grown into one of California's biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities.

Some 2,000 firefighters battled the Oak Fire, along with aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that include steep terrain, sweltering temperatures and low humidity, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

"It's hot out there again today," Cal Fire spokesperson Natasha Fouts said Sunday. "And the fuel moisture levels are critically low."

Crews on the ground protected homes as air tankers dropped retardant on 50-foot (15-meter) flames racing along ridgetops east of the tiny community of Jerseydale.

Light winds blew embers ahead into tree branches "and because it's so dry, it's easy for the spot fires to get established and that's what fuels the growth," Fouts said.

The fire erupted Friday southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County. Officials described "explosive fire behavior" on Saturday as flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades.

A California firefighter lights a backfire while battling the Oak Fire on July 23, 2022 near Mariposa, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images

By Sunday the blaze had consumed more than 22 square miles (56 square km) of forest land, with no containment, Cal Fire said. The cause was under investigation.

Evacuations were in place for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span of the sparsely populated area in the Sierra Nevada foothills, though a handful of residents defied the orders and stayed behind, said Adrienne Freeman with the U.S. Forest Service.

"We urge people to evacuate when told," she said. "This fire is moving very fast."

Lynda Reynolds-Brown and her husband Aubrey awaited news about the fate of their home from an evacuation center at an elementary school. They fled as ash rained down and the fire descended a hill towards their property.

"It just seemed like it was above our house and coming our way really quickly," Reynolds-Brown told KCRA-TV.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fire's effects.

Flames destroyed at least 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged five others, Cal Fire said. Assessment teams were moving through mountain towns to check for additional damage, Fouts said.

Numerous roads were closed, including a stretch of State Route 140 that's one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 3,100 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Sunday and there was no indication when it would be restored. "PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment," the utility said as flames roared Friday.

The Oak Fire was sparked as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze, the Washburn Fire, that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. The 7.5-square-mile (19-square-km) fire was nearly 80% contained after burning for two weeks and moving into the Sierra National Forest.

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