California Wildfires on the Brink of Burning 4 Million Acres
By The Associated Press
October 4, 2020 Updated: October 4, 2020
Print

SAN FRANCISCO—Red flag warnings of extreme fire danger subsided, but warm and dry weather continued to challenge firefighters battling more than two dozen blazes across California on Saturday as the state approaches an astonishing milestone: 4 million acres burned by wildfires this year.

The state is about 20,000 acres from reaching the unprecedented figure, fire officials said. Meanwhile, two major fires that have killed four people and incinerated hundreds of homes in the wine country and the far north continued to burn.

Powerful winds that had been expected to drive flames since Wednesday hadn’t materialized, and warnings of extreme fire danger for hot, dry and gusty weather expired Saturday morning as a layer of fog rolled in. Clearer skies in some areas allowed large air tankers to drop retardant after being sidelined by smoky conditions several days earlier.

But with California a tinderbox of dead trees and dried brush after weeks of scorching weather and years of drought, fires could explode in rural areas, grasslands and dense forest even without the push of winds.

Above-normal temperatures and low humidity persisted Saturday, heightening the fire danger.-- excerpt, rest at link above --