A dangerous heat wave broiling California fueled new fires in the state this week, including one that broke out on the Fourth of July and is threatening the town of Mariposa outside Yosemite National Park.
Across the state, forecasters warned the hot temperatures are expected to persist through the weekend and beyond in some areas, raising the risk for new brush fires in the coming days.
“These conditions are so hot anything that can create a spark can create a fire that can grow real fast,” said Ryan Kittell, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The French fire started near French Camp Road at Highway 49 just northwest of Mariposa before 8 p.m. Thursday and quickly grew to more than 400 acres amid warm temperatures and gusty terrain-driven winds, officials said.
Flames from the French fire burn on a hillside above Mariposa on Friday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
By Friday morning, the fire had charred 843 acres and moved southeast toward Mariposa, shutting down one of the main highways into Yosemite National Park, State Route 140 that turns into El Portal Road, and was 5% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Almost 200 homes with more than 300 people were under evacuation orders in Mariposa, according to a county evacuation map.
“Dozers and hand crews have constructed a fire line around the entire eastern side of the community of Mariposa,” Cal Fire’s Madera-Mariposa-Merced unit posted on Facebook. “As fire activity moderates, firefighters continue to push towards and focus on the eastern side of the fire.”
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his office secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides 75% reimbursement for fire suppression costs. A similar grant was also secured for the Thompson fire earlier in the week.
The National Weather Service predicts it could reach 107 degrees in Mariposa on Friday, 110 on Saturday and 109 on Sunday, all while overnight temperatures never dip below the 70s at night, giving the landscape virtually no ability to regain any moisture that would make it more difficult to catch fire.
A firefighter extinguishes hot spots while battling the French fire on Friday.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
After a wet winter, all the early summer heat is priming the state to burn. Ten fires started in the state on Thursday and another Friday morning, Cal Fire’s incident page shows.
Weather is offering little help to firefighters this year. Though summer is well underway, the heat California is currently experiencing is considered early for this time of year, meteorologists said.
“Typically we get these temperatures more into August,” Kittell said. “But even if this was August, it would still be in the upper range of heat conditions. We’re talking about some of the interior areas, like the deserts, are [likely] breaking their all-time temperature records, regardless of day and month.”
The French fire is the largest new blaze in the state, but the biggest burning in California is the Basin fire in Fresno County at 14,015 acres with 46% containment. The Thompson fire in Butte County that was threatening Oroville was also 46% contained Friday morning and is 3,789 acres, Cal Fire reported.
In the Southland, the National Weather Service cautioned that elevated fire conditions would persist through next week, particularly along the Antelope Valley foothills and Ventura and Santa Barbara county foothills that are prone to gusty winds that can fan fires.
Inland, Palmdale Airport set a daily record when it peaked at 110 degrees, beating the old record set in 1973, the National Weather Service said.
And it may take some time before there’s relief.
On Saturday, some areas could be seeing the hottest days they’ve seen on record — ever.
Two Antelope Valley cities known for their summer heat, Palmdale and Lancaster, could see their respective heat records of 113 and 115 degrees broken on Saturday, when they’re each forecasted to reach 116 degrees.
The heat is expected to peak Friday and Saturday in Southern California, Kittell said, until the northerly wind begins to shift to a more offshore wind by Sunday, bringing a slight cooling from the ocean.
That means outdoor activities during the holiday weekend could be taxing.
“Maybe walk in the beach, as opposed to a strenuous hike in the mountains,” he said.
The Inland Empire will also see extreme heat, with highs expected in the triple digits this weekend.
Those heading to the beach to cool off will have to take extra precautions, as strong ocean currents are expected to create 3- to 6-foot waves as well as rip currents and powerful shorebreaks.
The heat is expected to linger longer in the northern part of the state, with the heat advisory lasting until Tuesday, said Dakari Anderson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
Temperatures in the region are expected to persist between 95 to 110 degrees, he said, and he said the rest of the week will probably stay hot as well.
Flames from the French fire consume a storage area at an athletic field in Mariposa.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Red Bluff broke a daily record on July 4, Anderson said, with 107 degrees, and the rest of the region will remain uncharacteristcally hot for this time of year.
“We usually don’t see heat of this magnitude in July,” he said, adding that by the end of next week, several areas will probably have broken records for consecutive days with temperatures of more than 100 degrees, and perhaps more than 105 degrees in some areas.
Newsom this week directed the Office of Emergency Services to activate the State Operations Center in response to the excessive heat warnings enveloping much of the state.
In Los Angeles, the city opened an additional four “augmented” cooling centers in anticipation of the hot temperatures. Officials said the locations were meant to help the other cooling centers throughout the county, including libraries and recreation centers, with extended hours.
The state’s Office of Emergency Services also has a list online of cooling centers throughout the state, listing locations by county.
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