Crews from Sacramento, Stockton deployed as Democrat mismanaged Oak Fire burns buildings

[But Trump!]

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even disinvested in prevention.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the Oak Fire continues to burn
threatening thousands of structures near Mariposa County's
Yosemite National Park, crews from the Sacramento region are
responding to help protect homes and contain the inferno.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District has sent a strike team
unit to the Oak Fire while the Stockton Fire Department has
deployed a battalion chief, the agencies confirmed to ABC10
Saturday.

The Cosumnes Fire Department, Amador Fire Protection District
and Merced Fire Department have sent Office of Emergency
Services engines to the fire, according to social media posts.

The Alameda County Fire Department and Cal Fire's Santa Clara
Unit, which service portions of western San Joaquin and
Stanislaus Counties, have also joined the list of local agencies
sending resources to the fire in Mariposa County.

The Alameda County Fire Department sent a fire engine to the
wildfire, according to a Tweet Friday night. Cal Fire's Santa
Clara Unit has sent a strike team, the unit also said in a Tweet
Friday.

As the local crews were being sent to the wildfire, public
officials secured funding from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency to support response to the Oak Fire.

Saturday morning, the California Governor's Office announced
that the state had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant.
The grant will allow local, state and tribal agencies that are
responding to the Oak Fire to apply for 75% reimbursement of
eligible fire suppression costs.

With the wildfire burning nearly 110 miles away from Sacramento,
wind shifts could bring smoke into the foothill regions Sunday.

According to ABC10 Meteorologist Devin Trubey, winds are
expected to be around 10 miles per hour out of the north and
northeast around the fire for much of the day Saturday.

Those winds however, are expected to shift Sunday morning
bringing in a breeze from the south which has the potential to
push wildfire smoke on Sunday into the communities of Arnold,
Sonora, Murphys, Jackson, Auburn and Grass Valley.

Smoke Forecast Map:

Watch More from ABC10: Saving Mariposa Grove Redwood Sequoia
trees amid Yosemite wildfire

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-
metro-stockton-fire-oak-fire/103-fd35f298-b397-4fd7-8614-
ad90c005115a

[But Trump!]

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even disinvested in prevention.

WAWONA, Calif. — A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National
Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California's largest
wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands
of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and
businesses.

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near
the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday had
grown to nearly 19 square miles (48 square kilometers),
according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made
progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a
grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite
park. Acreage is at about 11,900.

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000
people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely
populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for
the Sierra National Forest.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa
County on Saturday due to the effects of the Oak Fire.

More than 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, along with
helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough
conditions that included hot weather, low humidity and bone-dry
vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades, Patterson
said.

“Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters,” Cal Fire
said in a statement Saturday that described the Oak Fire's
activity as “extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group
torching.”

By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and
commercial structures, damaged five others and was threatening
2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said. The blaze prompted
numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140
between Carstens Road and Allred Road — blocking 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.

“The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out
in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday,” Patterson said.
“These are exceptional fire conditions." The cause of the fire
was under investigation.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600
homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday
afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored.
“PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment," the utility
said.

A shoeless older man attempting to flee the blaze on Friday
crashed his sedan into a ditch in a closed area and was helped
by firefighters. He was safely driven from the area and did not
appear to suffer any injuries. Several other residents stayed in
their homes Friday night as the fire burned nearby.

Fire crews from the Sacramento area have already hit the road to
help fight the blaze.

The Cosumnes Fire Department, along with Sacramento Metro Fire,
San Joaquin crews are on scene.

"We worked together with our cooperating agencies so Metro Fire
will send out one type 3 apparatus and that is a pump and roll
capable engine so that means it can roll and spray water at the
same time and those are the apparatus we use on grass fire or
vegetation fires in that urban interface," Capt. Parker Wilbourn
with Sacramento Metro Fire. "We are also in the process of
sending out our type 1 apparatus. Those are larger and have
about 700 gallons of water in the tank, and they're more in a
position for structural firefighting."


Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a
wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into
the Sierra National Forest.

The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Friday after burning about
7.5 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) of forest. It was one
of the largest fires of the year in California, along with the
Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County that was fully contained in
June at 9 square miles (23 square kilometers)

The fire broke out July 7 and forced the closure of the southern
entrance to Yosemite and evacuation of the community of Wawona
as it burned on the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of
giant sequoias, the world's largest trees by volume.

Wawona Road is tentatively set to reopen on Saturday, according
to the park website.


Animal Evacuation Information:
Small Animals- Mariposa County SPCA 5599 Hwy 49 North, Mariposa
(full)
Small Animals-Mariposa Elementary School 5044 Jones St. Mariposa
(6th and Jones)
Large Animals – Maiposa County Fairgrounds 5007 Fairgrounds Rd.
Mariposa

EVACUATIONS:
An evacuation map for Mariposa County is available below.


Red Cross:
Mariposa County Elementary 5044 Jones St. Mariposa

Road Closures:
Carstens Road
Triangle Rd from Hwy 140 to Hwy 49 south
Buckingham Mt. Rd
Plumbar Creek Rd
Jerseydale Rd and all side roads
Hwy 140 from Allred Rd to Ponderosa Way
Darrah Rd
Silva Rd from Triangle to Cole Rd
Cole Rd
McNally Rd
Boyer Rd and all side roads
Brooks Rd
Woodland Dr
Carelton Rd to Morningstar Rd
Morningstar Rd.
STAY INFORMED:
CAL FIRE MMU
CALFIRE_PIO
FIRE MAP:
This map from the National Interagency Fire Center shows fire
activity (this may take a few seconds to load):


AERIEL VIEWS OF THE OAK FIRE:

Credit: ABC10

Aerial video provided by ABC7.

WILDFIRE PREPS:
According to Cal Fire, the 2021 fire season started earlier than
previous years, but also ended earlier, as well. January 2021
saw just under 1,200 acres burned from nearly 300 wildfires.
Fires picked up in the summer when the Dixie Fire burned in five
Northern California counties — Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Lassen and
Tehama. The Dixie Fire started on July 13 and wasn't contained
until Oct. 25, burning nearly 1 million acres. It has since
become the second-largest wildfire in state history and the
largest non-complex fire.

Overall, 2.5 million acres were burned in 2021 from 8,835
wildfires. Over 3,600 structures were destroyed and 3 people
were killed.

If you live in a wildfire-prone zone, Cal Fire suggests creating
a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is an area
around a building in which vegetation and other debris are
completely cleared. At least 100 feet is recommended.

WATCH: What you need to know to prepare, stay safe for wildfires

The Department of Homeland Security suggests assembling an
emergency kit that has important documents, N95 respirator
masks, and supplies to grab with you if you’re forced to leave
at a moment’s notice. The agency also suggests signing up for
local warning system notifications and knowing your community’s
evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in
cases of wildfires.

Some counties use Nixle alerts to update residents on severe
weather, wildfires, and other news. To sign up, visit
www.nixle.com or text your zip code to 888777 to start receiving
alerts.

Read more: Are you wildfire ready? Here's what to do to prepare
for fire season.

PG&E customers can also subscribe to alerts via text, email, or
phone call. If you're a PG&E customer, visit the Profile &
Alerts section of your account to register.

What questions do you have about the latest wildfires? If you're
impacted by the wildfires, what would you like to know? Text the
ABC10 team at (91) 321-3310.

Watch More from ABC10: Saving Mariposa Grove Redwood Sequoia
trees amid Yosemite wildfire

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/oak-fire-maps-
evacuation-update/103-4dd38082-0c6b-401e-8c80-c8b235c700da

[But Trump!]

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even disinvested in prevention.

Due to the fires in Yosemite National Park, the U.S. Forest
Service is taking emergency action to save the giant sequoias

A fast-moving wildfire near Yosemite National Park exploded in
size Saturday and prompted evacuations even as firefighters made
progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a
grove of giant sequoias.

The Oak Fire, which began Friday afternoon southwest of the park
near Midpines in Mariposa County, grew to 10.2 square miles
(26.5 square kilometers) by Saturday morning, according to the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal
Fire.

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000
people living in the sparsely populated, rural area.

"Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters," Cal Fire
said in a statement Saturday morning that described the fire
activity as "extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group
torching."

As of Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential
and commercial structures and damaged five more, and was
threatening 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said.

The fast-growing blaze prompted Caltrans to order numerous road
closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens
Road and Allred Road — blocking one of the main routes into
Yosemite National Park.

Hot weather and bone dry vegetation caused by the worst drought
in decades was fueling the blaze and challenging fire crews,
said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National
Forest.

"The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out
in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday," Patterson said.
"These are exceptional fire conditions."

A shoeless older man attempting to flee crashed his sedan into a
ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was
safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any
injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday
night as the fire continued to burn nearby.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600
homes and businesses in the area had lost power by Friday
afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored.

"PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment," the company
said.

There’s no immediate word on what sparked the fire.

On Friday, firefighters reported that they have been able to
contain 79% of the initial wildfire, the Washburn Fire.

The fire, in the lower Mariposa Grove area near the Washburn
trail, forced the evacuation of the community of Wowona and
endangered hundreds of giant sequoias, the world's largest trees
by volume.

Wawona Road is tentatively set to reopen on Saturday, according
to the park website.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service announced Friday it's taking
emergency action to save giant sequoias by speeding up projects
to protect the trees from the increasing threat of wildfires.

The Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act was introduced by a bipartisan
group of congressman including House Republican leader Kevin
McCarthy.

The SOS acts calls for intentionally lighting smaller trees and
vegetation during damp conditions with firefighters monitoring.

"The Forest Service’s action today is an important step forward
for Giant Sequoias, but without addressing other barriers to
protecting these groves, this emergency will only continue," the
group said. "It’s time to codify this action by establishing a
true comprehensive solution to fireproof every grove in
California through the SOS Act and save our sequoias."

This emergency action could cut years off the normal approval
process required to cut smaller trees in national forests and
use intentionally low-intensity fires to reduce dense brush. The
dense underbrush aids wildfires to spread rapidly.

"Without urgent action, wildfires could eliminate countless more
iconic giant sequoias," Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said in
a statement. "This emergency action to reduce fuels before a
wildfire occurs will protect unburned giant sequoia groves from
the risks of high-severity wildfires."

Some environmental groups have criticized forest thinning as an
excuse for commercial logging.

Ara Marderosian, executive director of the Sequoia ForestKeeper
group, called the announcement a "well-orchestrated PR campaign."

He said it fails to consider how logging can exacerbate
wildfires and could increase carbon emissions that will worsen
the climate crisis.

"Fast-tracking thinning fails to consider that roadways and
logged areas ... allows wind-driven fires because of greater
airflow caused by the opening in the canopy, which increases
wildfire speed and intensity," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/yosemite-national-park-wildfires-
explode-size-us-takes-emergency-action-save-sequoias

[But Trump!]

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even disinvested in prevention.

As a wildfire rages in the iconic Yosemite National Park,
"green" federal policies are being blamed for adding literal
fuel to the fire.

While members of Congress stop short of saying environmental
policies caused this fire, it’s clear that the massive
firestorms of the past decade would not have happened without
the fuel to feed them. California House members have been trying
for years to pass laws that would resume clearing tinder, but
they have repeatedly been voted down.

“The U.S. Forest Service used to have a 10 a.m. policy that
fires reported one day needed to be put out 10 a.m. the next
morning,” said Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, whose district
includes Yosemite. “[Democrats] believe we should leave the
forests alone and nature will take care of them. A policy of
benign neglect.”

Environmental laws from the 1970s stopped paper mill loggers
from removing dead and overgrown trees to keep the forests
healthy and create firebreaks. California had 149 paper mills in
1980, and today, that number has shrunk to 27.

As a result, 50 years of neglect have created forests that are
400% denser than what the land can support, McClintock said. In
drought-ridden California, a lack of water only heightens the
problem.

Now, a “human start” fire has consumed 3,772 acres with only 17%
containment as it gobbles up fuel in Mariposa Grove, where more
than 500 giant sequoias top 200 feet. President Abraham Lincoln
signed legislation in 1864 protecting the grove and surrounding
areas from encroachment.

PG&E TO PAY $55M FOR TWO MASSIVE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES, AVOIDS
CRIMINAL TRIAL

McClintock said he toured Mariposa Grove a week ago and was told
by a federal official that fires need to occur at 14-year
intervals as nature’s way of clearing out timber.

“I couldn’t believe my ears, but there it is,” McClintock said.

Now, with the Washburn fire, McClintock called the USFS and
demanded to know if they were fighting the fire. The answer was
yes.

Last year, another wildfire got dangerously close to 2,200-year-
old General Sherman, the largest tree in the world at 275 feet
tall. The sequoia made national headlines when firefighters
covered its base with foil blankets as protection from flames.

“We are talking about giant sequoias here, every kid in school
learns about these trees and their size,” said Rep. Doug LaMalfa
(R-CA), who has an adjacent district that was ravaged by fire
last year. “It’s nonsense that we are in the position that the
forest service isn’t aggressive about the prework [to stop
fires].”

Trying to clear forests of dead trees is a cumbersome process
that requires environmental reports that take years and cost
millions of dollars. The minute any tree is removed,
environmental groups file a lawsuit citing endangered species of
birds seen in the area, LaMalfa said.

Now, it has come down to whether the Democrats want General
Sherman to burn in order to keep their ideology, La Malfa said.

“Ultimately that’s the choice they are given,” he said. “They
will say, 'We don’t want General Sherman to be burned,' but
their actions cause differently. They want to save a woodpecker.”

The timber pileup is so massive that it will take a decade to
clear, he said.

Every year, LaMalfa, McClintock, and others in California
introduce legislation aimed at curbing wildfires. Most bills die
in committee, but LaMalfa was able to pass a bill that created a
50-foot firebreak under power lines, one of the most common fire
starters.

But McClintock points to one shining example where teamwork can
equal results. He successfully passed a 2016 bill that cut down
on red tape for environmental logging permits from four years to
four months. It was limited to the Lake Tahoe area. When the
deadly Caldor wildfire swept the area last year, forests
remained intact because they were cleared of overgrowth,
McClintock said.

Last month, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
introduced a bipartisan bill called Save Our Sequoias that will
expand the 2016 law nationwide.

“The irony is that these [current] laws are supposed to improve,
and instead, they are destroying our forests,” McClintock said.
“The excuse we hear from the environmental Left for their
failure is that we shouldn’t be putting out forest fires.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/yosemite-national-park-
fires-california-green-policies

[But Trump!]

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even disinvested in prevention.

An investigation from CapRadio and the California Newsroom
collaboration has found that Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif.,
misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even disinvested in
prevention.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

California could face another catastrophic wildfire season this
year, as severe drought leaves much of the state prone to
burning. Governor Gavin Newsom promised to overhaul the state's
approach to wildfire prevention on his first day in office back
in 2019.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GAVIN NEWSOM: We are stepping up our game. I hear you. I get it.
We need to do more and do better. These last two years have been
devastating.

CHANG: But an investigation from CapRadio and the California
Newsroom collaboration found Newsom has overstated the success
of forest management projects, and last year, the governor cut
funding for fire prevention. Scott Rodd broke this story for
CapRadio and joins us now from Sacramento.

Welcome.

SCOTT RODD: Thanks for having me on.

CHANG: So let's start with what you found. What did Governor
Newsom promise in the first place? And what was actually
accomplished?

RODD: So early on, Newsom identified some key wildfire
prevention projects, and that includes things like forest
thinning and prescribed burns, and they were meant to protect
some of the most vulnerable communities in California. And he
claimed 90,000 acres were treated, but we found that's not true.
The state's own data shows that, in reality, it was less than
12,000 acres, so just a fraction of what Newsom claimed. And
looking at the bigger picture, not just those specific projects,
we also found that the state's fire prevention work overall
dropped by half last year, which was the worst wildfire season
on record for California. And during that time, Newsom also
slashed about $150 million from the state's wildfire prevention
budget.

CHANG: Well, how has Governor Newsom responded to your findings
so far?

RODD: So the governor's office has repeatedly declined our
interview requests. However, we did speak with Thom Porter, who
leads Cal Fire. That's the State Department that oversees fire
prevention and response. And when asked about Newsom overstating
the work done on these prevention projects, he took
responsibility for his department needing to improve
communication with the governor's office. And then on the drop
in prevention work last year, here's what he had to say.

THOM PORTER: We had an exceptional fire year, and then with
COVID restrictions that we were having to keep our workforce
healthy, we had to continue the lull.

RODD: So he's saying that it's hard to prevent future fires when
there are current fires going on, especially in a year like last
year, when you had a record number of blazes going at once.

CHANG: Yeah. Well, then given what hasn't been done for fire
mitigation, I mean, what are the potential consequences for this
year's fire season?

RODD: In our interview, Porter argued that a single acre of
forest management can save an entire community, but the inverse
is also true; an overgrown acre left untreated could lead to a
community burning to the ground. And this is people's lives,
homes and businesses that are at stake. And I spoke to fire
survivor Mitch Mackenzie, who lives in Sonoma County wine
country. He lost his home in a 2017 fire, and he says he felt
misled by Newsom's grand promises.

MITCH MACKENZIE: I've lost my home. Lots of other people have
lost their homes. If he's serious about stopping these fires,
somebody need to take the initiative. And I thought that's what
he professed that he was going to do, and I think it's kind of
deceptive.

RODD: Mackenzie's wine business also suffered greatly during
last year's fires. And he has a new house in the same area, and
he's worried that this one could burn down, too. In fact, last
year, it was threatened by those same wine country fires.

CHANG: Well, what does California do at this point? I mean, how
much can the state catch up with fire prevention efforts?

RODD: So Governor Newsom is proposing big spending in this
year's budget - over a billion dollars for fire response and
prevention work. And our reporting has actually led to
lawmakers, mostly Republicans, pushing to amend the budget to
include certain fire prevention requirements that are attached
to this money to make sure that it's not just money put in a
pot, but that it actually goes towards prevention work. And fire
experts I spoke to say this money could make a dent in the work
that's needed, but they need to sustain it because they say the
state needs to do close to a million acres of fire mitigation
every year. And we're nowhere near that right now.

CHANG: That is reporter Scott Rodd of CapRadio in Sacramento.

Thank you very much for joining us today.

RODD: Thank you.

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https://www.npr.org/2021/06/25/1010382535/gavin-newsom-misled-
public-about-wildfire-prevention-work-report-says