More winds, heat and risk of thunderstorms expected in California wildfire fight

CHICO, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters battling California’s largest wildfire of the year are bracing for dangerous conditions heading into the weekend, with thunderstorms expected to trigger lightning and erratic winds that could erode progress made over the past week. Hot, dry conditions posed similar threats across the fire-ravaged West.

Weather, fuels and terrain will pose challenges for the 6,000 firefighters battling the Park Fire, which has spread across 614 square miles (1,590 square kilometers) since it was reportedly started by arson in a wilderness park in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of the Sacramento Valley city of Chico.

The fire’s northward advance has taken it toward the rugged lava rock landscape surrounding Lassen Volcanic National Park, which has been closed due to the threat.

“Lava rocks make work for manual crews hard and slow,” Cal Fire said in a status report. “Crews are being airlifted to access areas that have been difficult to reach due to long drive times and steep, rugged terrain.”

After days of mild weather, increasing winds and increased monsoon moisture were expected to boost fire activity and bring the possibility of thunderstorms Friday night and Saturday, said Ryan Walbrun, an incident meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“The concern with thunderstorms is any gust of wind that could push the fire or create new fire spots in the vicinity of the park fire,” Walbrun said.

Collapsing storm clouds can generate wind from all directions, said Jonathan Pangburn, a fire behavior analyst for Cal Fire.

“Even if there’s no lightning, it’s a very safety-intensive environment for our firefighters,” Pangburn said.

Walbrun said there was little prospect of beneficial rainfall due to the storms, and the forecast for next week indicates continued warming and drying.

“If we look ahead, we’re actually entering the peak of the fire season in California,” he said.

The Park Fire, which has destroyed at least 480 structures and damaged 47, is one of nearly 100 large fires burning in the western United States.

A wildfire on the outskirts of the Denver metropolitan area spread to within a quarter mile of evacuated homes, but officials said Thursday they were hopeful that hundreds of threatened residences could be saved despite sweltering temperatures and firefighters suffering from heat exhaustion.

The Quarry Fire, southwest of the Denver suburb of Littleton, engulfed several large subdivisions. Neighborhoods with nearly 600 homes were ordered evacuated after the blaze, of unknown origin, spread rapidly Tuesday afternoon and into the evening, with relatively few firefighters still on the scene.

Jim and Meg Lutes watched from a vantage point near their home northeast of the fire as smoke rose from the ridges. Their community west of Littleton had not yet been ordered to evacuate, but the couple had been ready to start packing a day earlier when flames could be seen engulfing the mountains.

“You can get to that hill pretty quickly if the wind shifts,” said Jim Lutes, 64, pointing to a nearby ridge.

Five firefighters were injured Wednesday, including four who suffered heat exhaustion, said Mark Techmeyer, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire was in rugged terrain that made access difficult, but it had been contained to about a half-square mile (1.4 square kilometers) with no homes yet destroyed, authorities said.

A few miles north, near the town of Lyons, Colorado, authorities lifted some evacuation orders and reported progress on the Stone Canyon Fire, which has killed one person and destroyed five homes. The cause was under investigation.

The fire occurred between several densely populated areas of the Colorado foothills that were threatened with disappearing, including one where one person died earlier this week.

New large fires were reported in Idaho, southeastern Montana and northern Texas.

Scientists say extreme wildfires are becoming more common and destructive in the western United States and other parts of the world as climate change warms the planet and droughts become more severe.

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Associated Press reporters contributing to this report included Jesse Bedayn and Matthew Brown.

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