Free Republic

The Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to fund 11,000 miles (17,703 kilometers) of strategic fuel breaks in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah in an effort to help control wildfires. The fuel breaks are intended to prop up fire mitigation efforts and help protect firefighters, communities and natural resources, The Oregonian reported Saturday. According to the BLM, wildfires are becoming bigger and more frequent across the Great Basin states. Between 2009 and 2018, more than 13.5 million acres of BLM land burned in the project area.

Californian officials warned on Saturday that "historic and extreme" wind conditions were set to fan raging wildfires in the north of the state as millions of residents face power cuts. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the so-called Kincade Fire spread to 23,700 acres (9,591 hectares) after breaking out on Wednesday in the Sonoma wine region. The blaze, which is burning in remote steep terrain, has destroyed about 50 structures and forced the evacuation of the small community of Geyserville and of nearby vineyard operations. "This is definitely an event that we're calling historic and extreme," David...

This weekend’s planned power outages could be the largest yet in California, as utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison order wide blackouts to prevent more blazes — and more wildfire liability — amid heavy, hot winds. PG&E, which has 5.4 million electric customers and provides power to 16 million Californians, was projecting Thursday that it could shut off power across nearly all of its territory in Northern California on Sunday and Monday because of ferocious gusts. “This system will likely be the strongest event of the year from a wind perspective,” the utility said on...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Expect more preventative power blackouts in California as the climate gets hotter and drier and the wildfire season gets nastier and longer,scientists say.

FULL HEADLINE: Multiple wildfires break out across LA: Terrifying footage shows hundreds of firefighters battling to contain growing blazes in Southern California as one man is killed and 100,000 are forced to flee their homes Saddleridge Brush Fire, broke out after 9pm on Thursday in Sylmar, north of Los Angeles, along the 210 Freeway near Yarnell Street and jumped the highway, according to KTLA. Multiple freeways, including Interstate 5, Interstate 210, and Interstate 405 northbound were shut down at least partially, according to the California Highway Patrol. Fire officials said the Saddleridge Fire consumed more than 4,700 acres by 8am...