Wildfire in Oregon destroys 4 homes, threatens thousands more, as flames spare California wineries

Ten structures – including four houses – were destroyed by a forest fire which swept center from Oregon, where thousands of residents remained under evacuation orders on Monday, while fire in the northern wine country has so far spared some of the most famous state vineyards.

The officials said that Oregon firefighters working on damaged land in the middle of dry and hot time saved hundreds of other 34 -mile flat fire buildings (88 square kilometers) covering the DESCHUTES and Jefferson counties. It was 15%contained.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of houses and personal goods and expressing our sympathy to the affected people,” said the sheriff of the DESCHUTES County, Ty Rupert, in a press release.

Flames threatened nearly 4,000 houses, Fire spokesperson He said on Monday, Gertendijk. He said that the crews took advantage of slightly cooler temperatures that dived in the 80s (31 C), and even some scattered rains.

“A little rain is good at the moment, but later, if the sun is withdrawing, it is not long in drying everything again,” said Zoutenijk.

A heat notice was in place until Wednesday, and the forecasters warned that potential thunderstorms could create erratic winds that would challenge firefighters.

Meanwhile, Pickett Fire in northern California has charred about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) from the County of Napa distant, known for its hundreds of vineyards. It was 13% contained on Monday.

Flames spared the house and adjacent vineyards of Jayson Woodbridge of hundred acres, but he said that it was a call on Thursday when the fire broke out and run along the neighboring tracks.

He and his son caught pipes and began to spray on steep hills. “The water evaporated as quickly as we pulsed it,” said Woodbridge on Monday. “It was just a hot funnel. The fire was simply engulfed. ”

Before a long time, crews with bulldozers and air support arrived to protect the property. Breathtaking helicopters continued their flights on Monday, keeping the flames contained with distant canyons at around 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

With about a month before the harvest, Woodbridge said that his grapes will not be damaged due to the “pure chance” of the wind management.

“Smoke will not affect the fruit because the wind comes from the west, fortunately,” said Woodbridge. This was not the case in 2020, when the toxic smoke of the glass fire made sure that Woodbridge and other vineyards glee a large part of this year’s harvest.

There was no damage to the Pickett Fire vineyards, said Michelle Novi with Napa Valley Vintners, a professional non -profit association.

Fire control resources have been set up to protect the cellars, especially since the winds are later resuming in the day, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire protection, or fire cal.

“Over time in the last 48 hours, we see high temperatures, a low humidity associated with a growing wind at the end of the afternoon, which gave our troops additional work on the east side of this incident,” said Cal Fire spokesman on Monday.

In the southwest of Montana, a firefighter died Sunday afternoon after undergoing a heart emergency while fighting the Bivens Creek fire.

The man, who was not immediately identified, was part of more than 700 firefighters working on the fire caused by lightning in the mountains of the tobacco roots at around 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Virginia City, Montana.

The Bivens Creek fire has burned about 3 1/2 square miles (9 square kilometers) since August 13 in a distant area with thick wood and many dead trees.

Residents of the West of the United States were suffocating in a heat wave that has hospitalized some people, temperatures reaching dangerous levels throughout the weekend in Washington, Oregon, South California, Nevada and Arizona.

After a three-digit temperature weekend, the Comté authorities of Multnomah, Oregon, said they were investigating the death of a 56-year-old man, as perhaps related to heat.

The Oregon fire zone is in a high climate of the desert, where dried herbs and juniper burns and the fire rushes into the Tinder drying canyon areas where it is difficult to create containment lines, said the Sheriff’s spokesman for the County of Deschutes, Jason Carr.

In Central California, the largest fire in the state this year, Gifford’s fire, was 95% confinement on Monday after having square nearly 206 square miles (534 square kilometers) of dry brush in the counties of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara since its breakdown on August 1. The cause is the subject of an investigation.

Although it is difficult to link a single fire or a single meteorological event directly to climate change, scientists say that warming caused by humans by burning fossil fuels such as coal and gas causes more intense heat and droughts, which has prepared the ground for more destructive forest fires.

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Webber reported to New York Chicago and Walker. The writer Associated Press, Christopher Weber, contributed from Los Angeles.

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