FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Firefighting crews endeavored to manage a rapidly expanding fire sweeping through the Sierra National Forest in central California, while meteorologists cautioned Tuesday that thunderstorms might trigger new fires due to lightning strikes.
Since its onset on Sunday afternoon, the Garnet Fire has consumed 14 square miles (36 square km) of grass, chaparral, and timber in a remote camping and hiking area approximately 60 miles (97 km) east of Fresno. No containment had been achieved.
Firefighters, assisted by scattered showers, focused their efforts on safeguarding the small community of Balch Camp and nearby hydroelectric plants along the Kings River, as noted in a Tuesday incident report.
“However, continued strong, erratic winds on top of dry, heavy vegetation will likely test containment efforts,” the report said.
The National Weather Service reported that red flag warnings were issued for parts of central and northern California due to the heightened risk of fire from dry lightning that might accompany thunderstorms.
The Pickett Fire, covering 10 square miles (26 square km) in Napa County wine country, showed minimal growth on Monday. Crews successfully contained flames within canyons about 80 miles (130 km) north of San Francisco, achieving 17% containment by Tuesday.
There have been no reports of damage to any vineyards from the fire, a spokesperson for the trade group Napa Valley Vintners said Monday.
In central Oregon, rain and cooler temperatures aided crews in advancing against the Flat Fire, which has burned 34 square miles (88 square km) of challenging terrain in Deschutes and Jefferson counties since it began last Thursday amid dry, hot weather. Containment stood at 7% by Tuesday.
“The incident, for the first time in the last three days, is really beginning to stabilize,” Travis Medema, the state’s chief deputy state fire marshal, told a community meeting Monday night.
Authorities at one point ordered evacuations for more than 4,000 homes but lifted orders for some areas on Monday.
Among those who evacuated were actor Rainn Wilson and his family. “The Office” star said on social media that they fled a mountain cabin near the town of Sisters, Oregon. In late 2024, Wilson’s home in Southern California was damaged by a wildfire.
“This is our fourth evacuation over the last six years,” Wilson said in a video posted Monday. “No matter where I go on the west coast, there’s fires ravaging the land, and it makes me really sad for our forests.”
Although it’s difficult to tie a single fire or weather event directly to climate change, scientists say human-caused warming from burning fossil fuels like coal and gas is causing more intense heat waves and droughts, which in turn set the stage for more destructive wildfires.
