Story at a glance
- Tens of thousands of Californians are under evacuation orders as several wildfires rage throughout the state.
- Most are residents of El Dorado County, where the Caldor Fire is still burning.
- California’s second-largest fire in history, the Dixie Fire, also continues to rage on, having already burned 747,091 acres across five counties.
Tens of thousands of Californians remain under evacuation orders as several wildfires rage throughout the state.
As of Thursday night, the California Office of Emergency Services reported 34,811 people under evacuation orders, a majority of whom — 24,548 people — live in El Dorado County, where the Caldor Fire continues to burn.
The Caldor Fire has been raging for almost two weeks and has since spread to within 20 miles of Lake Tahoe, leading to hazardous air quality in the area. It has burned 143,941 acres and is only 12 percent contained.
STATEWIDE WILDFIRE EVACUATION UPDATED. In San Bernardino County 1,040 were evacuated due the South Fire. @sbcountysheriff @KernCoSheriff @TrinityCoSOCA @USFSPlumas pic.twitter.com/dIh1V6s866
— Cal OES (@Cal_OES) August 27, 2021
Cal Fire issued a red flag warning for northern California through Saturday due to critical weather and fuel conditions that could exacerbate the fire.
“With extreme fire conditions and unsettled weather in the forecast, residents throughout northern California, including in the wider region around Lake Tahoe, are reminded to listen closely to local authorities and begin preparations to evacuate,” Bryan May, public information officer for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said in a video.
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Further north, California’s second-largest fire in history, the Dixie Fire, continues to rage on, having burned 750,672 acres across five counties since igniting on July 13. While some evacuation orders have since been changed to warnings and in some areas residents have been able to return home, the fire is only 45 percent contained and residents are encouraged to remain vigilant.
“Under these drought conditions, wildfires are burning rapidly with extreme severity and have traveled up to 8 miles in a single day,” according to Cal Fire. “Fuel conditions are much worse than previous years and along with wind is causing much greater fire spread.”
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