Charred City: California’s Weed battles wildfire as another inferno grows nearby

Shafia Parveen • September 4, 2022, 18:12:48 IST

A fast-moving fire in Northern California’s towns of Weed, Lake Shastina and Edgewood has burned over 1.4 square miles of land and forced at least 5,000 residents to evacuate since Friday

A fire, which erupted near a defunct lumber mill in Northern California on Friday and became a fast-moving inferno has destroyed at least 50 structures, including homes, and prompted the evacuation of thousands of people in rural Siskiyou County. AP

The blaze, named the Mill fire, tore through Weed and damaged nearby communities such as Lake Shastina, with a population of about 2,400; Carrick, home to about 140 people; and Edgewood, which contains about 70. AP

Weed has seen three major fires since 2014, a period of extreme drought that has prompted the largest and most destructive fires in California history. AP

Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. AP

California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Siskiyou County. The emergency declaration will help residents access federal aid and unlock state resources. AP

Another fire called the Mountain Fire is also simultaneously spreading in Gazelle, located 16 km northwest of Weed. As of Saturday morning, that fire was only five per cent contained and had burned about 3,400 acres of land. AP