WE WILL TRY TO PINPOINT WHERE WE
CAN SEE SOME STORMS AND
LIGHTNING COMING UP.
TURNING TO OUR WILDFIRE
COVERAGE
-- KRISTEN:
TURNING TO OUR
WILDFIRE COVERAGE -- MOST OF THE
FIRES BURNING IN THE NORTHERN
PART OF THE STATE.
ONE OF THE FASTEST MOVING IS THE
ROCKY FIRE BURNING IN LAKE
COUNTY.
IT GREW TO 46,000 ACRES
OVERNIGHT.
BRIAN HICKEY JOINS US LIVE NOW
WITH THE LATEST ON THE FIRE.
IT WAS A BUSY NIGHT OUT THERE.
BRIAN:
YES.
AND IT'S STILL ONLY 5% CONTAINED
ON THAT 46,000 ACRES.
YOU CAN SEE THE SMOKE HANGING
OVER THE MOUNTAINS HERE WHERE
HIGHWAY 20 IS SHUT DOWN AND
HIGHWAY 16, THE FIRE CONTINUES
TO BURN THROUGH THAT AREA.
LOOK AT THIS VIDEO FROM
OVERNIGHT.
EVEN THE COOL NIGHTTIME HOURS,
YOU WOULD EXPECT THE FIRE TO LAY
DOWN BUT THIS
FIRE HAS CONTINUED
WAS VERY ERRATIC BEHAVIOR
THROUGH THE EVENING.
THAT HAS ALLOWED THIS FIRE TO
MORE THROUGH THE HILLSIDES, UP
TO 46,000 ACRES.
24 RESIDENCES DESTROYED AND MANY
MORE BEING THREATENED.
OVER 5000 HOMES ARE CONSIDERED
THREATENED BY THIS FIRE AND MORE
THAN 12,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
EVACUATED AS THE FIRE CONTINUES
TO GROW.
WE HAVE HAD FIRE CREWS
ALONG
HIGHWAY 16 SETTING BACKFIRES.
THEY ARE HOPING TO HOLD THE FIRE
WEST OF HIGHWAY 16 AND SOUTH OF
HIGHWAY 20 FOUR THE MOST PART.
HIGHWAY 16 RUNNING THROUGH THE
CASH CREEK AREA.
THEY HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL
OPERATION WITH ABOUT SEVEN MILES
OF CAN PAYMENT LINE ALONG THERE.
NOW THEY ARE JUST HOPING THAT
WILL HOLD SHOULD THE FIRE SHIFT
DIRECTIONS AND START RACING
TOWARD THE EAST.
AND NOT CROSSOVER HIGHWAY 16.
A DEBT -- THAT IS THE SITUATION.
THEY HAVE EVACUATED THE CASH
CREEK AREAS.
AS WE DROVE THROUGH THIS
MORNING, THAT AREA WAS CLEARED
OUT.
THE FIRE IS ALREADY DOWN IN THE
CANYON CLOSE TO SOME OF THOSE
AREAS.
A VERY ACTIVE FIREFIGHT
WITH A
LOT OF FIREFIGHTERS OUT THERE
THIS MORNING WORKING HARD
THROUGH THE NIGHT TO HOLD THOSE
LINES.
KRISTEN:
WE HAVE MORE
PERSPECTIVE ON THE FIRES BURNING
IN OUR STATE.
BRIAN JUST TOLD US 5000 HOMES
ARE THREATENED AND A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EVACUATED.
HOW CLOSE IS THE FIRE TO THESE
HOMES?
SINCE THIS FIRE IGNITED LAST
WEDNESDAY, IT HAS BEEN BURNING
HUNDREDS OF HOMES.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS FIRE HAS
ALREADY BEEN ABLE TO DESTROY
ROUGHLY TWO DOZEN HOMES.
FIREFIGHTERS HAVE BEEN A GREAT
JOB PROTECTING THOUSANDS OF
OTHERS.
THIS MORNING, ABOUT 6300 HOMES
REMAIN THREATENED.
NEW FIGURES ON THAT FIRE
-- IT
HAS ROSE TO 47,000 ACRES, SO IT
IS A LARGE AND FAST-MOVING FIRE.
27,000 ACRES BURNED IN JUST FIVE
HOURS.
THAT'S A RECORD-SETTING NUMBER.
THAT IS NOT A SIZE AND INTENSITY
WE WOULD SEE TYPICALLY IN THE
BEGINNING OF AUGUST, BUT
CONDITIONS ACROSS THE STATE ARE
SO DRY BECAUSE OF THE DROUGHT
THAT HIRES LIKE THIS ONE ARE
ABLE TO IGNITE AND BURN RAPIDLY.
KRISTEN:
WHEN A FIRE IS GROWING
THAT QUICKLY, HOW DO YOU STAY
AHEAD OF IT?
IT DEFINITELY CHALLENGES US.
THE FIRST STEP IS WE WANT AND
AGGRESSIVE INITIAL ATTACK AND TO
THROW AS MUCH ON THAT FIRE AS WE
CAN.
THAT IS FIRE CREWS ON THE GROUND
, AIR TANKERS, HELICOPTERS,
TRYING TO GET THE FIRE CONTAINED
AT 10 ACRES OR LESS.
BUT WEATHER CONDITIONS AND
DROUGHT CONDITIONS, THAT'S WHAT
WE SEE ABOUT 5% OF FIRES BECOME
LARGE AND DAMAGING FIRES.
WE HAVE TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES
AND BRING FIREFIGHTERS FROM
ACROSS THE STATE AND REGION TO
THE FIRE.
WE HAVE CREWS FROM SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA AND EVEN FROM OUT OF
STATE.
BEHIND
ME, ONE OF THE C-130
AIRCRAFT FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD
HAS BEEN ACTIVATED TO HELP US.
KRISTEN: THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF
FIREFIGHTERS ALREADY FIGHTING
THE FIRE.
DO WE RUN THE RISK OF STRETCHING
THE RESOURCES TO THEN?
IT IS ONLY AUGUST.
ONE OF THE LUCKY THINGS
WE
HAVE WORKING IN OUR FAVOR THIS
YEAR IS THAT GOVERNOR BROWN
SIGNED A DROUGHT STATE OF
EMERGENCY LAST YEAR, GIVING US
ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS AND
RESOURCES TO RESPOND TO THE
INCREASE IN FIRES BECAUSE OF THE
DROUGHT.
THAT HAS GIVEN US MORE PERSONNEL
TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THIS
DEMANDING PACE.
HISTORICALLY, SEPTEMBER AND
OCTOBER IS WHEN WE SEE THE
LARGEST DAMAGING WILDFIRES,
THAT'S WHY WE ARE ASKING THE
PUBLIC TO HELP
PREVENT SPARKING
FIRES IN THE FIRST PLACE.
90% OF FIRES ARE STARTED BY THE
PUBLIC SPARKING FIRES.
ONE LESS SPARK MEANS ONE LESS
FIRE.