CA Fires 2021: 2.4M Acres Burned; CA's Utility Leader Resigns

Los Angeles CA

29 September, 2021

4:34 PM

Description

CALIFORNIA — California's wildfire season rages, but some Golden Staters living in fire-devastated areas returned home while others continued to evacuate this week. A couple returned to their home earlier this month to find it untouched by the Caldor fire raging near the Meyers area, but it was nevertheless ravaged by smoke and bear pee, The Sacramento Bee reported. A black bear had broken in through a sliding glass door and spent the day tearing through multiple doors between rooms and rifling through cupboards and the refrigerator. The Caldor fire has ripped through 221,774 acres and was 76 percent contained as of Wednesday. Meanwhile, in Shasta County, where the Fawn fire burned, evacuation orders lifted Wednesday morning but some evacuation warnings remained in place. That fire is the latest to send Californians fleeing from their homes and has burned 8,595 acres. It was 75 percent contained Wednesday. Alexandra Souverneva, 30, was charged last week with felony arson of forest land with an enhancement because of a declared state of emergency in California, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in early August. Souverneva plead not guilty. She remains in custody at the Shasta County Jail; bail was set at $175,000. The Palo Alto woman told authorites that she was attempting to boil water she found in a puddle while hiking her way to Canada, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Shasta County district attorney's office. She believed the water contained bear urine and tried to filter the water through a tea bag. When that didn't work, she attempted to make a fire to boil the water, according to the complaint. Cal Fire accused her of "acting irrationally" and trespassing in the area where the fire broke out near Fawndale Road north of Mountain Gate Wednesday afternoon. She walked out of the brush near the fire line around 8 p.m. and approached firefighters who were battling the blaze, told them she was dehydrated and that she needed medical treatment, Cal Fire said. Across California, more than 10,100 firefighters remained on the front lines of 11 major fires burning across the state on Saturday, Cal Fire reported. On Tuesday, crews responded to and were able to quell 10 fires that cropped up across the state, according to the agency. READ MORE: Palo Alto Woman Suspected Of Starting Fast-Spreading Fawn Fire Meanwhile, California's top utility regulator announced Tuesday that she will resign as president of the California Public Utilities Commission at the end of the year, according to an email she sent to staffers just as devastating wildfires ramped up the potential for power blackouts. "I write to inform you, after much thinking and reflection, that I have decided to conclude my service as President of the CPUC at the end of this year," Marybel Batjer, 65, wrote in a resignation email to staffers. During her time on the commission, she oversaw Pacific Gas & Electric Co. as it weathered bankruptcy proceedings and faced criminal charges related to wildfires that wrought destruction and killed residents in multiple counties over the last decade. "This was a difficult decision, as I am so proud of the work we have done together in the face of a changing climate and global pandemic," she said. As the state plunged into another possibly record-breaking fire season, Newsom will need to find another leader to fill her shoes by the end of the year. His selection must be approved by the state Legislature. Batjer was a key player in the state's strategy to help PG&E — the state's largest and most beleaguered utility company — navigate 91 felony convictions and another 31 criminal charges filed Friday related to last year's deadly Zogg fire. The utility also faces allegations that it started the Dixie fire, which became the second-largest wildfire in state history this year. The fire decimated the historic town of Greenville and charred more than 963,300 acres. The Dixie fire sparked on July 14, a day after the utility's repairman discovered flawed equipment. The utility now faces four charges of manslaughter related to the devastating Zogg fire. The company's CEO, Patti Poppe, admitted that the utility was responsible for causing the fire but argued that the utility did not commit a crime. READ MORE: Top CA Utility Official Who Oversees PG&E Resigns Erratic weather in California continued to drive this year's fire siege. A fire weather watch was issued for the North Bay's mountains from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening amid gusty winds and low humidity. Wind gusts up to 35 mph were possible for that region. In Northern California, windy and dry conditions, coupled with another warming trend, were expected to set in for the next week. In the Southland, a ridge of high pressure was expected to build from the Pacific Ocean and linger through the weekend. Westerly winds of 20 to 40 mph, with gusts of up to 60 mph, were expected to push through mountain ridges and desert passes on Wednesday evening. Temperatures were expected to warm 10 degrees away from the coatal areas and desert regions through Thursday. Historic drought tied to climate change made wildfires harder to fight. It has killed millions of trees in California alone. Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive, scientists said. Some 7,641 wildfires in California this year have damaged or destroyed more than 3,000 homes and other buildings and torched well over 2.4 million acres since the beginning of the year. In comparison to the same time last year, there were 8,278 wildfires, which burned more than 3.6 million acres. "As Fall season begins, it is important to remember that some of the largest and most destructive wildfires occur during this time of year," Cal Fire officials said in a statement. The agency urged residents of California to sign up for wildfire alerts here. Here's an interactive map from Cal Fire of all fires burning in the state this Wedensday. (Cal Fire) See Cal Fire's chart of all major fires burning across the Golden State on Wednesday. (Cal Fire) See Cal Fire's chart of all major fires burning across the Golden State on Wednesday.