XPost: or.politics, alt.politics.republicans, talk.politics.guns
XPost: talk.politics.misc
In article <t2kpt1$3mp8r$
69@news.freedyn.de>
forging asshole <
governor.swill@gmail.com> wrote:
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., misrepresented his wildfire preparedness and even disinvested in prevention.
Due to the fires in Yosemite National Park, the U.S. Forest
Service is taking emergency action to save the giant sequoias
A fast-moving wildfire near Yosemite National Park exploded in
size Saturday and prompted evacuations even as firefighters made
progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a
grove of giant sequoias.
The Oak Fire, which began Friday afternoon southwest of the park
near Midpines in Mariposa County, grew to 10.2 square miles
(26.5 square kilometers) by Saturday morning, according to the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal
Fire.
Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000
people living in the sparsely populated, rural area.
"Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters," Cal Fire
said in a statement Saturday morning that described the fire
activity as "extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group
torching."
As of Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential
and commercial structures and damaged five more, and was
threatening 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said.
The fast-growing blaze prompted Caltrans to order numerous road
closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens
Road and Allred Road — blocking one of the main routes into
Yosemite National Park.
Hot weather and bone dry vegetation caused by the worst drought
in decades was fueling the blaze and challenging fire crews,
said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National
Forest.
"The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out
in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday," Patterson said.
"These are exceptional fire conditions."
A shoeless older man attempting to flee crashed his sedan into a
ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was
safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any
injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday
night as the fire continued to burn nearby.
Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600
homes and businesses in the area had lost power by Friday
afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored.
"PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment," the company
said.
There’s no immediate word on what sparked the fire.
On Friday, firefighters reported that they have been able to
contain 79% of the initial wildfire, the Washburn Fire.
The fire, in the lower Mariposa Grove area near the Washburn
trail, forced the evacuation of the community of Wowona and
endangered hundreds of giant sequoias, the world's largest trees
by volume.
Wawona Road is tentatively set to reopen on Saturday, according
to the park website.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service announced Friday it's taking
emergency action to save giant sequoias by speeding up projects
to protect the trees from the increasing threat of wildfires.
The Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act was introduced by a bipartisan
group of congressman including House Republican leader Kevin
McCarthy.
The SOS acts calls for intentionally lighting smaller trees and
vegetation during damp conditions with firefighters monitoring.
"The Forest Service’s action today is an important step forward
for Giant Sequoias, but without addressing other barriers to
protecting these groves, this emergency will only continue," the
group said. "It’s time to codify this action by establishing a
true comprehensive solution to fireproof every grove in
California through the SOS Act and save our sequoias."
This emergency action could cut years off the normal approval
process required to cut smaller trees in national forests and
use intentionally low-intensity fires to reduce dense brush. The
dense underbrush aids wildfires to spread rapidly.
"Without urgent action, wildfires could eliminate countless more
iconic giant sequoias," Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said in
a statement. "This emergency action to reduce fuels before a
wildfire occurs will protect unburned giant sequoia groves from
the risks of high-severity wildfires."
Some environmental groups have criticized forest thinning as an
excuse for commercial logging.
Ara Marderosian, executive director of the Sequoia ForestKeeper
group, called the announcement a "well-orchestrated PR campaign."
He said it fails to consider how logging can exacerbate
wildfires and could increase carbon emissions that will worsen
the climate crisis.
"Fast-tracking thinning fails to consider that roadways and
logged areas ... allows wind-driven fires because of greater
airflow caused by the opening in the canopy, which increases
wildfire speed and intensity," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/yosemite-national-park-wildfires- explode-size-us-takes-emergency-action-save-sequoias
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