Bosbranden Californië zwellen aan

Growing California Wildfire Destroys Homes, Forces Hundreds to Flee

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Natuurbranden in noorden Californië zwellen aan

De razende natuurbranden in het noorden van de Amerikaanse staat Californië zijn nog steeds groeiende. Het vuur heeft al meer dan 18.500 hectare natuurgebied in de as gelegd.
Ongeveer 12.000 mensen hebben hun huis verlaten, of hebben het advies gekregen dat te doen.

De zogenoemde Rocky Brand in Lake County, ten noorden van San Francisco, is aangezwollen tot een oppervlakte van zo'n 8.000 hectare. De vlammen hebben al zo'n vijftig gebouwen verwoest en 6300 panden lopen gevaar eveneens af te branden.

Er zijn meer dan 2.000 brandweermensen ingezet om het vuur te bestrijden. De snelwegen 20 en 16 zijn tot nader order afgesloten.

Noodtoestand
De gouverneur van Californië, Jerry Brown, heeft eerder al de noodtoestand uitgeroepen. Naar aanleiding daarvan heeft hij inmiddels ook de National Guard, een onderdeel van de reservestrijdkrachten in de VS, ingeschakeld om te helpen bij de bosbranden.

Het blussen wordt bemoeilijkt doordat bomen en gras erg droog zijn. Bovendien verandert de wind continu van richting.

Dodelijk slachtoffer
De brand, die woensdag ontstond, kostte donderdag het leven van een 38-jarige brandweerman bij de grens met de staat Oregon.

Voor zover bekend zijn er tot op heden geen andere slachtoffers gevallen.

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Wildfire California grows 19000 acres overnight
A massive wildfire west of Sacramento, California, spanned 54,000 acres Sunday, up from 27,000 acres the previous evening.

The Rocky Fire, in Lake, Colusa and Yolo counties, was just 5 percent contained late Sunday afternoon, CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. No injuries were reported, though more than 12,000 people had been ordered to evacuate and several highways were closed, Berlant said earlier Sunday.

Dozens of buildings — including two-dozen homes — had been destroyed, and 6,000 more buildings remained threatened by the fire, which was sparked in the drought-stricken state on Wednesday and exploded in size amid dry, windy conditions on Saturday, Berlant said.

This "is a very dangerous fire," he said.

Nearly 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, and another 6,000 personnel were working to quell 20 additional large fires across the state, stretching from the San Diego to just south of the Oregon border, Berlant said Sunday.

A firefighter died Saturday while fighting the so-called Frog Fire, about 100 miles south of Oregon. That fire was only 5 percent contained as of Saturday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

California Gov. Jerry Brown said he and his wife were "saddened to learn of the tragic death of U.S. Forest Service Firefighter Dave Ruhl, who left his home state to help protect one of California's majestic forests."

Brown ordered a state of emergency Friday night to mobilize additional crews and resources. "California's severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox," he said.

Jessica Schuricht, who lives with her aunt in Lake County, described a terrifying scene that began a few days ago.

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California fires: Evacuation orders given to 13,000

Evacuation orders have been given to 13,000 people in California as firefighters struggle to contain some 20 wildfires.

Some 9,000 firefighters worked throughout Monday in steep terrain and rugged conditions, officials said.The biggest blaze - the so-called Rocky fire north of San Francisco - has already consumed more than 90 square miles (233 sq km) of land.

On Monday afternoon the fire jumped a highway that had been containing it.