California wildfires could take months to control
More storms, dry lightning strikes predicted
SAN FRANCISCO - Firefighters were battling more than a thousand wildfires across California yesterday, and forecasters said dangerous conditions would not relent anytime soon.
Fire crews in Northern California were closer to getting some of the largest blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services. But a "red flag warning" - meaning the most extreme fire danger - remained in effect for the region until today.
The coming days and months are expected to bring little relief.
Forecasters yesterday predicted more thunderstorms and dry lightning strikes, similar to the ones that ignited hundreds of fires a week ago. Meanwhile, a US Forest Service report said the weather would get even drier and hotter as fire season headed toward its typical peak in late July and August.
Lower-than-average rainfall and record levels of parched vegetation will probably mean a long, fiery summer throughout Northern California, according to the state fire outlook released last week by the Forest Service.
The fires burning now could take weeks or months to bring under full control, the report said. Those blazes were mostly sparked by lightning storms that were unusually intense for so early in the season. But summer storms would probably be even fiercer.
"Our most widespread and/or critical lightning events often occur in late July or August, and we have no reason to deviate from that," the Forest Service report said.
About 1,400 fires were burning across the state late Saturday, according to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The blazes have scorched more than 550 square miles and destroyed more than 50 buildings, said Gregory Renick, a state emergency services spokesman. No deaths have been reported.
Air quality districts from Bakersfield to Redding issued health advisories through the weekend, urging residents to stay indoors to limit exposure to the smoky air.
President Bush issued an emergency declaration Saturday and ordered federal agencies to assist in firefighting efforts.
California emergency officials said state and local governments would also need federal financing to cover the costs of fighting so many fires this early in the year.
Federal aid now includes four Marine Corps helicopters, remote sensing of the fires by NASA, federal firefighters, and the activation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A fire in the Los Padres National Forest forced the closure of a scenic stretch of a coastal highway.
