latimes--2020-09-12--In Northern California, the Slater fire leaves two dead and a town reeling

When Happy Camp Elementary School in rural Northern California started class two weeks ago , it was one of the few in California to reopen classrooms for children during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Abigail Yeager had worried at first whether sending her 6- and 8-year-old sons was the safe thing to do and whether wearing masks “ was going to freak them out.
” Those fears were quickly relieved .
Her sons and other students were thrilled to be back in school , and it seemed like a major victory in Happy Camp , a Siskiyou County town of 800 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week , the Slater fire devastated Happy Camp , destroying 150 homes and killing two people .
Half of the elementary school staff lost their homes , and administrators estimate that half of the 109 students are now homeless .
“ It was going so well , ” said Yeager , a member of the Happy Camp Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees .
“ It was doing so much for our kids , and it ’ s been ripped away again .
I was trying to process all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss — the normalcy for the kids .
It ’ s just chaos.
” Yeager considers herself lucky .
She did not lose her home .
But Happy Camp remains evacuated as the completely uncontained blaze rages on , and the losses are staggering in the isolated , impoverished town 13 miles south of the Oregon border .
One of the things that residents fear most of all is that their tragedy will be overlooked as the West Coast is besieged by some of the largest wildfires in modern history .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our community .
We are strong , but we ’ re definitely not Orange County or the Bay Area , ” said Judy Hahn , president of the elementary school board , who slept for several nights this week in her car with her dog and her husband ’ s urn because her home was under evacuation orders .
“ We ’ re small .
But I don ’ t want to be swallowed up and forgotten.
” The Slater fire , which began Monday night in the Klamath National Forest , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with zero containment .
The wind-driven blaze exploded in size Wednesday night , growing from 30,000 acres to more than 120,000 and crossing the border into Oregon , a state already grappling with its own massive wildfires , with half a million people under evacuation orders .
On Friday , the Slater fire was chewing through three national forests : the Klamath , the Six Rivers and the Rogue River-Siskiyou .
Two bodies were recovered this week in the Happy Camp area , said Lt. Jeremiah LaRue , a spokesman for the Siskiyou @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have not been identified .
Authorities , LaRue said , were trying to find 10 people whose whereabouts were unknown .
The vast , heavily forested region is sparsely populated , with steep terrain and few roads , said Duane Lyon , a spokesman for the multiagency team fighting the blaze .
That has made it difficult to get firefighting personnel and equipment .
“ There ’ s a strong competition for resources throughout the whole United States , ” Lyon said .
Given how many fires are burning simultaneously , “ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources we would like.
” As of Friday , only 240 firefighters were battling the Slater fire , which had a footprint more than double the size of Sacramento .
The same crews are also fighting the 4,488-acre Devil fire , which was discovered Wednesday on the nearby Upper Devil ’ s Peak in the Klamath National Forest and is also completely uncontained .
Together , the fires threaten about 850 homes .
Assistance that would have come within 24 hours in a normal year now takes several days to arrive , LaRue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s on fire , ” he said .
“ Personnel , equipment , aircraft — it ’ s just limited .
Everyone ’ s stretched real thin.
” In Happy Camp , the loss has been staggering .
The western Siskiyou County town sits on a narrow stretch of State Route 96 dubbed the Bigfoot Scenic Byway and boasts an 18-foot statue of Sasquatch made of recycled metal .
The old logging town , whose population has dramatically declined in recent years , is 55 % white and 24 % Native American .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ week along Indian Creek Road , destroying an estimated 150 homes in a town that has only 559 housing units , according to census data .
About 30 % of residents live below the poverty line — more than double the state and national averages .
Administrators said that even before the fire , the town suffered from a lack of housing .
The elementary school struggles to attract new employees and substitute teachers , and when they do come , the school board has a hard time finding places for them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 53 , started as the elementary school ’ s superintendent and principal July 1 .
He fell in love with Happy Camp , where he could hunt and fish and try to make a meaningful difference in a tiny school .
He had been living in a camper trailer while he tried to find a home and had been commuting seven hours on the weekends to his and his wife ’ s home in Placer County .
He ’ s not sure whether the trailer burned .
On Tuesday , as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cooper locked up the school once all the kids had been picked up .
He believes “ we saved lives because students were at school and not at home by themselves.
” “ I look at that positively that , you know what , we made the right choice to have kids here , to bring them back to school.
” Hahn , the elementary school board president , said the tiny school district desperately needs its students , now scattered across three states while they ’ re evacuated , to come back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attendance .
Hahn did not lose her home , but she could not get back to it this week after evacuation orders were given .
She refused to leave town and spent several days sleeping in her Mercury Milan , parked near the high school baseball field .
“ I am so fortunate — blessed — to still have my home , ” she said .
“ Houses right next to me burned down to the ground .
Total devastation.
” Hahn ’ s son lost his home and has been sleeping in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ballpark along with his son , who ’ s a firefighter .
Hahn ’ s daughter lost her home , too , which had a woodworking shop filled with tools left by Hahn ’ s late husband .
Hahn lost three cats , she said , her voice cracking .
When she evacuated , she grabbed her hunting license , her favorite power drill , family photographs , a few clothes .
Hahn grew up in Happy Camp and met her future husband in sixth grade .
They wedded at 19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and spent 42 years married before he died a few years back in a tree felling accident .
She ’ s felt a little lost , she said , to not have him with her , talking her through the tragedy .
In decades of marriage , she said , they had a good time poking fun at each other .
She said her husband ’ s urn was carefully wrapped in towels and in a basket in the back of the car where she slept , his ashes “ safe and secure.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said , chuckling .
“ I don ’ t want him to burn again.
” Then she added : “ You have to laugh .
I can think of lots of reasons to cry .
”

The Slater fire as seen from Happy Camp, Calif., on Tuesday.
When Happy Camp Elementary School in rural Northern California started class two weeks ago, it was one of the few in California to reopen classrooms for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abigail Yeager had worried at first whether sending her 6- and 8-year-old sons was the safe thing to do and whether wearing masks “was going to freak them out.”
Those fears were quickly relieved. Her sons and other students were thrilled to be back in school, and it seemed like a major victory in Happy Camp, a Siskiyou County town of 800 people along the Klamath River.
But this week, the Slater fire devastated Happy Camp, destroying 150 homes and killing two people. Half of the elementary school staff lost their homes, and administrators estimate that half of the 109 students are now homeless.
“It was going so well,” said Yeager, a member of the Happy Camp Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees. “It was doing so much for our kids, and it’s been ripped away again. I was trying to process all of the loss, and there’s another loss — the normalcy for the kids. It’s just chaos.”
Yeager considers herself lucky. She did not lose her home. But Happy Camp remains evacuated as the completely uncontained blaze rages on, and the losses are staggering in the isolated, impoverished town 13 miles south of the Oregon border.
One of the things that residents fear most of all is that their tragedy will be overlooked as the West Coast is besieged by some of the largest wildfires in modern history.
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“We need help. We need to rebuild our community. We are strong, but we’re definitely not Orange County or the Bay Area,” said Judy Hahn, president of the elementary school board, who slept for several nights this week in her car with her dog and her husband’s urn because her home was under evacuation orders.
“We’re small. But I don’t want to be swallowed up and forgotten.”
The Slater fire, which began Monday night in the Klamath National Forest, had burned 136,314 acres as of Friday evening with zero containment.
The wind-driven blaze exploded in size Wednesday night, growing from 30,000 acres to more than 120,000 and crossing the border into Oregon, a state already grappling with its own massive wildfires, with half a million people under evacuation orders.
On Friday, the Slater fire was chewing through three national forests: the Klamath, the Six Rivers and the Rogue River-Siskiyou.
Two bodies were recovered this week in the Happy Camp area, said Lt. Jeremiah LaRue, a spokesman for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. They have not been identified. Authorities, LaRue said, were trying to find 10 people whose whereabouts were unknown.
The vast, heavily forested region is sparsely populated, with steep terrain and few roads, said Duane Lyon, a spokesman for the multiagency team fighting the blaze. That has made it difficult to get firefighting personnel and equipment.
“There’s a strong competition for resources throughout the whole United States,” Lyon said. Given how many fires are burning simultaneously, “we are having a challenging time getting the resources we would like.”
As of Friday, only 240 firefighters were battling the Slater fire, which had a footprint more than double the size of Sacramento.
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The same crews are also fighting the 4,488-acre Devil fire, which was discovered Wednesday on the nearby Upper Devil’s Peak in the Klamath National Forest and is also completely uncontained. Together, the fires threaten about 850 homes.
Assistance that would have come within 24 hours in a normal year now takes several days to arrive, LaRue said.
“The whole state’s on fire,” he said. “Personnel, equipment, aircraft — it’s just limited. Everyone’s stretched real thin.”
In Happy Camp, the loss has been staggering.
The western Siskiyou County town sits on a narrow stretch of State Route 96 dubbed the Bigfoot Scenic Byway and boasts an 18-foot statue of Sasquatch made of recycled metal. The old logging town, whose population has dramatically declined in recent years, is 55% white and 24% Native American.
The fire pushed into Happy Camp this week along Indian Creek Road, destroying an estimated 150 homes in a town that has only 559 housing units, according to census data. About 30% of residents live below the poverty line — more than double the state and national averages.
Administrators said that even before the fire, the town suffered from a lack of housing. The elementary school struggles to attract new employees and substitute teachers, and when they do come, the school board has a hard time finding places for them to live, Yeager said.
Derek Cooper, 53, started as the elementary school’s superintendent and principal July 1. He fell in love with Happy Camp, where he could hunt and fish and try to make a meaningful difference in a tiny school.
He had been living in a camper trailer while he tried to find a home and had been commuting seven hours on the weekends to his and his wife’s home in Placer County. He’s not sure whether the trailer burned.
On Tuesday, as the fire closed in on the town, Cooper locked up the school once all the kids had been picked up. He believes “we saved lives because students were at school and not at home by themselves.”
“I look at that positively that, you know what, we made the right choice to have kids here, to bring them back to school.”
Hahn, the elementary school board president, said the tiny school district desperately needs its students, now scattered across three states while they’re evacuated, to come back because funding is dependent on average daily attendance.
Hahn did not lose her home, but she could not get back to it this week after evacuation orders were given. She refused to leave town and spent several days sleeping in her Mercury Milan, parked near the high school baseball field.
“I am so fortunate — blessed — to still have my home,” she said. “Houses right next to me burned down to the ground. Total devastation.”
Hahn’s son lost his home and has been sleeping in the bed of his pickup truck at the ballpark along with his son, who’s a firefighter. Hahn’s daughter lost her home, too, which had a woodworking shop filled with tools left by Hahn’s late husband.
Hahn lost three cats, she said, her voice cracking. When she evacuated, she grabbed her hunting license, her favorite power drill, family photographs, a few clothes.
Hahn grew up in Happy Camp and met her future husband in sixth grade. They wedded at 19, were “madly in love,” and spent 42 years married before he died a few years back in a tree felling accident.
She’s felt a little lost, she said, to not have him with her, talking her through the tragedy.
In decades of marriage, she said, they had a good time poking fun at each other. She said her husband’s urn was carefully wrapped in towels and in a basket in the back of the car where she slept, his ashes “safe and secure.”
“He obviously burned once,” she said, chuckling. “I don’t want him to burn again.”
Then she added: “You have to laugh. I can think of lots of reasons to cry.”


latimes--2020-09-12--'Terrible role-modeling': How California lawmakers flouted pandemic safety practices

In California , cradle of renowned tech startups and Silicon Valley , elementary school students have had to figure out how to work remotely , but lawmakers have not .
As the end-of-session frenzy gripped the state Legislature in late August , pandemic no-nos spiked : Lawmakers gathered indoors in large numbers and huddled closely , let their masks slip below their noses , smooshed together for photos and shouted “ Aye !
” and “ No !
” when voting in the Senate , potentially spraying virus-laden particles at their colleagues .
“ It ’ s terrible role-modeling , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Northwestern University .
“ Why do we have to do this if they ’ re not doing it ?
” Legislative leaders are divided on whether remote voting violates the state constitution .
Nonetheless , it was authorized — should it be needed — on a limited basis by both chambers in late July .
In the last week of the session , the Democratic leader of the state Senate ordered 10 Republican senators who lunched together to vote via video after one of them , Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had tested positive for the coronavirus .
But the remote-voting option didn ’ t extend to others such as Assembly member Buffy Wicks ( D-Oakland ) , who brought her newborn onto the floor for a late-night vote on Aug. 31 .
Lawmakers insist the guiding forces behind their decision-making have been “ science-based protocols.
” But the science is clear : Stay home , wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth , wash your hands and keep at least six feet away from people indoors .
Maybe let your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here at California Healthline , we let science and data guide our decisions , so we ran some of the legislators ’ behavior by epidemiologists and infectious disease experts .
Health officials have pleaded with the public to stay home when possible to minimize the spread of COVID-19 .
The virus , they say , is extremely contagious , especially indoors .
But elected officials around the country continue to meet in person .
In California ’ s Capitol , everyone must wear masks , the number of visitors to the Assembly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more social-distancing space among members , and plexiglass dividers were installed in both chambers .
“ These are absolutely unprecedented times in the California State Senate , and there was no prior experience with live remote voting or participation , ” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins said in a statement to California Healthline .
“ So we proceeded with a method that maximized participation while respecting public safety and meeting the Legislature ’ s constitutional duties , which , as you know , private businesses do not have to consider in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , congregating indoors is not wise , public health experts say .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s a good idea for any large group to have gathered , even if you were all wearing masks in an indoor environment , ” Khan said .
“ We know that wearing a mask — consistently and correctly — substantially reduces the risk of coronavirus spread but certainly does not eliminate it , ” said Dr. Leana Wen , an emergency physician and visiting public health professor at George Washington University .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , we should all be doing what we can to switch to virtual meetings and gatherings , when possible.
” Some didn ’ t wear masks that properly sealed their faces , or pulled their masks down to sip coffee .
Impassioned senators yelled to cast votes , while their colleagues in the Assembly quietly voted at their desks by simply pushing a button .
And lawmakers in both chambers huddled closely to confer .
“ Physical distance is quite important , actually , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , a professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of California-San Francisco .
It ’ s the “ second layer ” of protection after masks , he said .
“ I realize it doesn ’ t lend itself well to this kind of business , but you have to figure it out , ” he said .
Lawmakers , Rutherford noted , are prone to dramatic speeches and like to yell passionately into microphones to make a point , which is not particularly good behavior under COVID .
“ I mean , the louder you talk , the greater your exhalational force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelm the protections of the mask , ” he said .
A baby ’ s cry from the Assembly floor triggered national rebuke of California ’ s Legislature .
When Wicks came to the floor to vote on a housing bill Aug. 31 , her month-old daughter , Elly , wasn ’ t pleased that her late-night feeding had been interrupted .
Wicks had asked Assembly leadership if she could vote by proxy but was told she was not at high risk for COVID-19 .
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon later apologized .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are core elements of our Democratic values , ” Rendon said in a statement .
“ Nevertheless , I failed to make sure our process took into account the unique needs of our members .
The Assembly needs to do better .
I commit to doing better.
” The photo of Wicks holding her swaddled baby in her arms went viral — a rallying cry for mothers across the country balancing the demands of work with children at home .
Plus , requiring that she appear in person was not only unnecessary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newborns are extremely high-risk because they have no immunity , other than the immunity that they obtained from their mother , said Wen , mother of a 5-month-old .
“ Every employer , every entity needs to do everything they can to be flexible during this time of a pandemic.
” Congress continues to gavel into session in person , and many state constitutions require legislatures to meet in person .
At least 30 states have allowed remote voting , extended bill deadlines or made other legislative accommodations since the start of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of State Legislatures .
Only Wisconsin and Oregon already had rules in place for remote voting in case of an emergency .
California dabbled with online hearings this spring and summer and witnesses testified remotely .
There were the usual trip-ups : mute buttons still engaged , a crackly phone line or a lawmaker caught uttering a bad word .
But the technology is available to conduct the people ’ s business , and public health experts urged lawmakers to consider updating their rules .
“ It ’ s not the same as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is really hard to accomplish things the same way , ” Khan acknowledged .
But “ in 2020 , we ’ re very blessed with a million different ways to remotely interact for video and audio that should be explored and exhausted before saying that there is no better option.
” This story was produced by ( Kaiser Health News ) , which publishes , an editorially independent service of the .
KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

In California, cradle of renowned tech startups and Silicon Valley, elementary school students have had to figure out how to work remotely, but lawmakers have not.
As the end-of-session frenzy gripped the state Legislature in late August, pandemic no-nos spiked: Lawmakers gathered indoors in large numbers and huddled closely, let their masks slip below their noses, smooshed together for photos and shouted “Aye!” and “No!” when voting in the Senate, potentially spraying virus-laden particles at their colleagues.
“It’s terrible role-modeling,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Northwestern University. “Why do we have to do this if they’re not doing it?”
Advertisement
Legislative leaders are divided on whether remote voting violates the state constitution. Nonetheless, it was authorized — should it be needed — on a limited basis by both chambers in late July.
In the last week of the session, the Democratic leader of the state Senate ordered 10 Republican senators who lunched together to vote via video after one of them, Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee), announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
But the remote-voting option didn’t extend to others such as Assembly member Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), who brought her newborn onto the floor for a late-night vote on Aug. 31.
.@BuffyWicks should’ve been home with her baby voting by proxy. That she came to #caleg is a testament to her but it didn’t have to be this way. Expecting + new moms can be “in the room where it happens” by being in the zoom where it happens. #WeSaidEnough https://t.co/Bh00nohICv — Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) September 2, 2020
Lawmakers insist the guiding forces behind their decision-making have been “science-based protocols.”
But the science is clear: Stay home, wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth, wash your hands and keep at least six feet away from people indoors. Maybe let your pregnant and nursing colleagues work from home.
Advertisement
Here at California Healthline, we let science and data guide our decisions, so we ran some of the legislators’ behavior by epidemiologists and infectious disease experts.
Should Lawmakers Meet Indoors?
Health officials have pleaded with the public to stay home when possible to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The virus, they say, is extremely contagious, especially indoors.
But elected officials around the country continue to meet in person.
In California’s Capitol, everyone must wear masks, the number of visitors to the Assembly and Senate floors was limited to provide more social-distancing space among members, and plexiglass dividers were installed in both chambers.
“These are absolutely unprecedented times in the California State Senate, and there was no prior experience with live remote voting or participation,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins said in a statement to California Healthline. “So we proceeded with a method that maximized participation while respecting public safety and meeting the Legislature’s constitutional duties, which, as you know, private businesses do not have to consider in their remote decision making.”
Despite the precautions, congregating indoors is not wise, public health experts say.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for any large group to have gathered, even if you were all wearing masks in an indoor environment,” Khan said.
“We know that wearing a mask — consistently and correctly — substantially reduces the risk of coronavirus spread but certainly does not eliminate it,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting public health professor at George Washington University. “And in this time of a pandemic, we should all be doing what we can to switch to virtual meetings and gatherings, when possible.”
Broken Social-Distancing Rules
Time after time, California lawmakers flagrantly broke social-distancing rules.
Some didn’t wear masks that properly sealed their faces, or pulled their masks down to sip coffee. Impassioned senators yelled to cast votes, while their colleagues in the Assembly quietly voted at their desks by simply pushing a button. And lawmakers in both chambers huddled closely to confer.
“Physical distance is quite important, actually,” said Dr. George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California-San Francisco. It’s the “second layer” of protection after masks, he said.
“I realize it doesn’t lend itself well to this kind of business, but you have to figure it out,” he said.
Thank you Majority Leader @IanCalderon for your incredible service to our legislature & all Californians! You’ll be dearly missed but you’ve earned some well deserved quality time with your family. I know we’ll see you in service again. Until then, wish you nothing but happiness! pic.twitter.com/phXFcXVPKf — Ash Kalra 🌱 (@Ash_Kalra) September 2, 2020
Lawmakers, Rutherford noted, are prone to dramatic speeches and like to yell passionately into microphones to make a point, which is not particularly good behavior under COVID.
“I mean, the louder you talk, the greater your exhalational force, the more likely you are to overwhelm the protections of the mask,” he said.
The Cry Heard ’Round the World
A baby’s cry from the Assembly floor triggered national rebuke of California’s Legislature. When Wicks came to the floor to vote on a housing bill Aug. 31, her month-old daughter, Elly, wasn’t pleased that her late-night feeding had been interrupted.
Wicks had asked Assembly leadership if she could vote by proxy but was told she was not at high risk for COVID-19. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon later apologized.
“Inclusivity and electing more women into politics are core elements of our Democratic values,” Rendon said in a statement. “Nevertheless, I failed to make sure our process took into account the unique needs of our members. The Assembly needs to do better. I commit to doing better.”
The photo of Wicks holding her swaddled baby in her arms went viral — a rallying cry for mothers across the country balancing the demands of work with children at home. Plus, requiring that she appear in person was not only unnecessary, Wen said, but dangerous.
“Newborns are extremely high-risk because they have no immunity, other than the immunity that they obtained from their mother, said Wen, mother of a 5-month-old. “Every employer, every entity needs to do everything they can to be flexible during this time of a pandemic.”
Why Not Legislate Virtually?
Congress continues to gavel into session in person, and many state constitutions require legislatures to meet in person. At least 30 states have allowed remote voting, extended bill deadlines or made other legislative accommodations since the start of the pandemic, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Only Wisconsin and Oregon already had rules in place for remote voting in case of an emergency.
California dabbled with online hearings this spring and summer and witnesses testified remotely. There were the usual trip-ups: mute buttons still engaged, a crackly phone line or a lawmaker caught uttering a bad word.
This moment says everything about 2020. State Sen. @ScottWilkCA, struggling with mute on his Zoom voting in Senate session, looked to have mouthed one of those not-so-nice words in frustration. The chamber laughed and his face was priceless.
Senator, thanks for this moment! pic.twitter.com/2yphFgOp3M — John Myers (@johnmyers) August 28, 2020
But the technology is available to conduct the people’s business, and public health experts urged lawmakers to consider updating their rules.
“It’s not the same as being in person for sure. It is really hard to accomplish things the same way,” Khan acknowledged. But “in 2020, we’re very blessed with a million different ways to remotely interact for video and audio that should be explored and exhausted before saying that there is no better option.”


latimes--2020-09-12--Another California firestorm where warnings did not prevent deaths

The turn in the wind was expected .
The U.S. Forest Service and CalFire on Tuesday morning braced for 45-mph gusts across the large Bear fire that had been crawling through the Plumas National Forest — dry and cool air coming from the northeast , so the fire would fan back on itself , onto miles of tinder primed by drought , four days of record heat and three weeks of low fire .
They got that wind and more : gusts of 60 mph by 4 a.m. through Jarbo Gap , the hellish wind tunnel on the Feather River @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years before , and 45 mph in Plumas County , on the remaining hot edge of the dying Bear fire .
Within hours , the Bear fire joined the list of wind-swept California that raced into communities before residents could flee .
Incident records and interviews by The Times found that the protection of those in harm ’ s way was hindered by evacuation orders that came by surprise , went unheeded and were impaired by a power outage .
Now the Bear fire has joined the roster of California ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paradise and wine country killed scores and exposed lethal flaws in public warning systems .
It was clear early Tuesday that the fire was exploding .
By 10 a.m. , the oxygenated fire jumped the Middle Fork of the Feather River and leaped into the crown of old-growth forest .
It took off at a narrow , mad run , burning across 2,000 acres an hour and throwing out spot fires two miles ahead of the main front .
It was on a trajectory to reach the city of Oroville by nightfall .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lightning in mid-August , it had been left to smolder in the Plumas National Forest while attention was focused on fires near populated areas .
The wakened giant sent so much smoke into the sky that many people in neighboring Butte County called 911 in panic .
But rather than convey the concern firefighters were voicing among themselves , or the news that the fire was on the run , the sheriff ’ s department used its Facebook platform to send a reassuring message just after noon : “ There is no fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , the sheriff put two communities , Feather Falls and Clipper Mills , on notice with a warning about the fire across the county line .
Evacuation orders didn ’ t go out for five more hours , at 3:30 p.m. , when the fire was halfway to affected communities .
Most of the towns on the list had been given no warnings and had been without power since the night before , after Pacific Gas and Electric deliberately plunged them into blackout to avoid sparking fires .
Long after evacuation orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ messages and every possible kind of uniformed official , from probation officers to game wardens , going door-to-door with sirens — people remained in the old mountain hamlet of Berry Creek when the flames came into town just before 10 p.m. What ensued were nightmarish stories , mad dashes for survival through burning canyons and bodies recovered the next day from the ash .
Firefighters were unable to reach all those who were trapped during the siege .
By 5 a.m. Wednesday , the wounded were triaged at a state fire post in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies so far have been recovered from the Bear fire , and 16 people remain missing , as archaeologists from Cal State Chico sift through the char for remains .
“ We did the best job that we could , given the resources and time that we have , ” said Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea , who has the grim job of overseeing the search for bodies .
“ That said , as I have said many , many times before , there is no way to guarantee 100 % saturation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There ’ s no way to guarantee perfection .
It ’ s particularly difficult when we ’ re dealing with communities in remote and rural areas that are hard to get to and sometimes have spotty coverage.
” Evacuation orders are a local decision , and the Butte County Sheriff ’ s Department had limited information , a spokeswoman said .
The department was not told the fire had crossed the river for almost an hour .
At 12:30 p.m. , more than two hours after the jump , CalFire incident managers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Their concern was that it was heading in our direction , and they didn ’ t currently know where the fire was at , ” said sheriff ’ s spokeswoman Megan McMann .
But the Sheriff ’ s Department could provide no information on how many residents of Berry Creek successfully received evacuation calls that came three hours later , nor could it say when deputies drove through with sirens .
McMann did not respond to questions about whether the midday notice that there was no fire in Butte County ran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ground .
About those who did not evacuate , she said , “ You can ’ t force people out.
” Residents of Berry Creek described a more nuanced situation reflecting the complexity of disaster response — a community inured to neglect and economic hardship , with many households turning to each other and their social connections in a time of crisis .
From their perspective , it didn ’ t help that PG & E had turned off the power Monday night on people intending to stay and fight a fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frustrated , and they couldn ’ t use their wells to save their damn houses , ” said Denise Bethune , 51 , a 12-year resident of Berry Creek and member of the local fire council .
She monitored the fire and left within an hour of receiving the evacuation order on her phone but knows plenty of people who did not receive it , including neighbors who live off the grid .
Others — including marijuana growers , both legal and those squatting on federal land at the behest of cartels — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures .
The community has no warning sirens .
Sheriff ’ s deputies drove through sounding the sirens on their cars , but the area is spread out .
“ There was a lot of tension ; a lot of people were stressed , ” Bethune said .
“ But when you don ’ t have power , and you don ’ t have a cellphone , how you gon na find out ?
” Berry Creek is cradled by canyons and wild , scenic rivers .
Its center consists largely of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ store , a gas station and three churches .
The estimated population is 1,200 .
Motivated by the 2018 Paradise disaster a few ridges away , residents had begun to organize the local fire safety council to discuss communication and evacuation plans .
Bethune said the social distancing requirements imposed by COVID-19 shut that down .
“ It ’ s just frustrating when you know what needs to happen , but it ’ s not a rich area per se ... and we don ’ t get the attention , ” Bethune said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when it comes to safety and fire protection ... we have no government help.
” In a neighborhood down the hill from Berry Creek , Kelly Huth-Pryor received a call from her mother Tuesday , warning about the approaching Bear fire .
Huth-Pryor and her husband had lost their mobile home in Paradise .
They made a quick decision about the family house : “ Not losing it again.
” She said they never received an evacuation order from the county and spent Tuesday watering down their land .
It wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provisions , including gas for the generator , that forced them out Thursday .
Even then , they stayed within the burn zone , aware that if they crossed evacuation lines , they could not return .
Another resident , Jason Hill , said he left because of warnings he received from friends in the local fire department three hours before the official evacuation order .
He said many in the community were more likely to rely on word of mouth and social media than official sources .
“ Some don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ You have a lot of people out there giving real information , and then you have social media .
A lot of people want to believe things that align better with what they want.
” Honea is a veteran of disaster response .
The sheriff ’ s evacuation miseries run from the 2017 threatened collapse of the Oroville Dam , in which thousands received little warning , to the 2018 fire that engulfed Paradise and neighboring mountain communities before orderly evacuations could be issued .
That was California ’ s deadliest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were elderly residents caught off-guard , while others were trapped as they tried to outrun the fire on narrow mountain roads .
After each disaster , Honea has promised improvements , from earlier action to less reliance on subscription-based phone alert programs .
The Bear fire saw the use of a federal emergency broadcast alert , including a message narrowly targeted to campers in the woods .
Police vehicles drove through the area sounding special “ high-low ” tones that residents were expected to know meant “ Leave.
” The Bear fire was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weather conditions and terrain of steep , wind-funneling canyons .
Two years before , similar northeast winds sent embers aloft and pushed the Camp fire into the town of Paradise at twice the speed , burning some 4,600 acres an hour .
In San Diego County , the Cedar fire in 2003 ran 17 miles in three hours ; 15 people were killed .
In the wine country of Napa , Sonoma and Lake counties , the Tubbs fire in 2017 traversed 12 miles in four hours , killing 22 .
A Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disaster plans approved by the state warned of canyon fires driven by east winds , those references were dropped after 2005 .
To add to the hurdles faced by residents imperiled by the fast-moving , massive fire , counties posted evacuation maps that stopped at their borders .
A Yuba County map ordering mandatory evacuations , for instance , not only was difficult to read but made it appear that the fire , and the danger , stopped at the county line .
Butte County ’ s evacuation maps did the same .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ being put out for something as important as a mandatory evacuation ?
And why are evacuation advisories not being issued ahead of the mandatory areas ?
Wouldn ’ t it be prudent to give people as much of a heads up as possible ?
” one Facebook user asked Yuba County on Tuesday .
The written reply from the Yuba County Sheriff ’ s Department : “ that ’ s all we have at the moment .
Please use description of roads & regions above for better detail.
” Some firefighters also were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued failure despite many evacuation disasters in Northern California .
“ I still see a major lack of foresight .
There seems to be some unexplainable hesitancy to call for evacuations in a timely fashion , ” said a former area firefighter who asked not to be named , fearing backlash against herself and her family .
She said the danger to Berry Creek was clear if one looked at the fire maps and wind speed and direction .
Honea , for his part , emphasized the responsibility carried by those living in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with beetle infestations , overgrowth , logging and a warming climate .
“ That ’ s why , for the last year or so , post-Camp fire , myself and my colleagues have gone round trying to impress upon people the importance of being prepared , ” Honea said .
“ The importance of maintaining situational awareness , understanding what ’ s going on , especially if you live in a wild land , fire-prone area , and doing what you need to do to make yourself safe .
”

Paige St. John, Anita Chabria, Joseph Serna

The turn in the wind was expected.
The U.S. Forest Service and CalFire on Tuesday morning braced for 45-mph gusts across the large Bear fire that had been crawling through the Plumas National Forest — dry and cool air coming from the northeast, so the fire would fan back on itself, onto miles of tinder primed by drought, four days of record heat and three weeks of low fire.
The extreme danger was clear.
They got that wind and more: gusts of 60 mph by 4 a.m. through Jarbo Gap, the hellish wind tunnel on the Feather River canyon that had spawned the Paradise fire two years before, and 45 mph in Plumas County, on the remaining hot edge of the dying Bear fire.
Within hours, the Bear fire joined the list of wind-swept California that raced into communities before residents could flee. Incident records and interviews by The Times found that the protection of those in harm’s way was hindered by evacuation orders that came by surprise, went unheeded and were impaired by a power outage.
Now the Bear fire has joined the roster of California’s deadliest wildfires, coming after blazes in Paradise and wine country killed scores and exposed lethal flaws in public warning systems.
What failed? Technology? Or human nature?
It was clear early Tuesday that the fire was exploding. By 10 a.m., the oxygenated fire jumped the Middle Fork of the Feather River and leaped into the crown of old-growth forest. It took off at a narrow, mad run, burning across 2,000 acres an hour and throwing out spot fires two miles ahead of the main front. It was on a trajectory to reach the city of Oroville by nightfall.
One of three dozen fires set by lightning in mid-August, it had been left to smolder in the Plumas National Forest while attention was focused on fires near populated areas. The wakened giant sent so much smoke into the sky that many people in neighboring Butte County called 911 in panic.
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But rather than convey the concern firefighters were voicing among themselves, or the news that the fire was on the run, the sheriff’s department used its Facebook platform to send a reassuring message just after noon:
“There is no fire currently in Butte County.”
An hour later, the sheriff put two communities, Feather Falls and Clipper Mills, on notice with a warning about the fire across the county line.
Evacuation orders didn’t go out for five more hours, at 3:30 p.m., when the fire was halfway to affected communities. Most of the towns on the list had been given no warnings and had been without power since the night before, after Pacific Gas and Electric deliberately plunged them into blackout to avoid sparking fires.
Long after evacuation orders — via text, phone, Facebook messages and every possible kind of uniformed official, from probation officers to game wardens, going door-to-door with sirens — people remained in the old mountain hamlet of Berry Creek when the flames came into town just before 10 p.m.
What ensued were nightmarish stories, mad dashes for survival through burning canyons and bodies recovered the next day from the ash.
Firefighters were unable to reach all those who were trapped during the siege. By 5 a.m. Wednesday, the wounded were triaged at a state fire post in town where many had sheltered. Ten bodies so far have been recovered from the Bear fire, and 16 people remain missing, as archaeologists from Cal State Chico sift through the char for remains.
“We did the best job that we could, given the resources and time that we have,” said Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea, who has the grim job of overseeing the search for bodies.
“That said, as I have said many, many times before, there is no way to guarantee 100% saturation of your message,” he added. “There’s no way to guarantee perfection. It’s particularly difficult when we’re dealing with communities in remote and rural areas that are hard to get to and sometimes have spotty coverage.”
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Evacuation orders are a local decision, and the Butte County Sheriff’s Department had limited information, a spokeswoman said. The department was not told the fire had crossed the river for almost an hour. At 12:30 p.m., more than two hours after the jump, CalFire incident managers suggested that the sheriff start evacuation warnings.
“Their concern was that it was heading in our direction, and they didn’t currently know where the fire was at,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Megan McMann.
But the Sheriff’s Department could provide no information on how many residents of Berry Creek successfully received evacuation calls that came three hours later, nor could it say when deputies drove through with sirens. McMann did not respond to questions about whether the midday notice that there was no fire in Butte County ran contrary to what firefighters were seeing on the ground.
About those who did not evacuate, she said, “You can’t force people out.”
Residents of Berry Creek described a more nuanced situation reflecting the complexity of disaster response — a community inured to neglect and economic hardship, with many households turning to each other and their social connections in a time of crisis. From their perspective, it didn’t help that PG&E had turned off the power Monday night on people intending to stay and fight a fire, impairing communication.
“People were frustrated, and they couldn’t use their wells to save their damn houses,” said Denise Bethune, 51, a 12-year resident of Berry Creek and member of the local fire council. She monitored the fire and left within an hour of receiving the evacuation order on her phone but knows plenty of people who did not receive it, including neighbors who live off the grid. Others — including marijuana growers, both legal and those squatting on federal land at the behest of cartels — say they don’t trust authority figures.
The community has no warning sirens. Sheriff’s deputies drove through sounding the sirens on their cars, but the area is spread out.
“There was a lot of tension; a lot of people were stressed,” Bethune said. “But when you don’t have power, and you don’t have a cellphone, how you gonna find out?”
Berry Creek is cradled by canyons and wild, scenic rivers. Its center consists largely of a school, a post office, a store, a gas station and three churches. The estimated population is 1,200.
Motivated by the 2018 Paradise disaster a few ridges away, residents had begun to organize the local fire safety council to discuss communication and evacuation plans. Bethune said the social distancing requirements imposed by COVID-19 shut that down.
“It’s just frustrating when you know what needs to happen, but it’s not a rich area per se ... and we don’t get the attention,” Bethune said. “We all say to ourselves, when it comes to safety and fire protection ... we have no government help.”
In a neighborhood down the hill from Berry Creek, Kelly Huth-Pryor received a call from her mother Tuesday, warning about the approaching Bear fire. Huth-Pryor and her husband had lost their mobile home in Paradise. They made a quick decision about the family house: “Not losing it again.”
She said they never received an evacuation order from the county and spent Tuesday watering down their land. It wasn’t the fire but a lack of provisions, including gas for the generator, that forced them out Thursday. Even then, they stayed within the burn zone, aware that if they crossed evacuation lines, they could not return.
Another resident, Jason Hill, said he left because of warnings he received from friends in the local fire department three hours before the official evacuation order. He said many in the community were more likely to rely on word of mouth and social media than official sources.
“Some don’t take it seriously,” he said. “You have a lot of people out there giving real information, and then you have social media. A lot of people want to believe things that align better with what they want.”
Honea is a veteran of disaster response. The sheriff’s evacuation miseries run from the 2017 threatened collapse of the Oroville Dam, in which thousands received little warning, to the 2018 fire that engulfed Paradise and neighboring mountain communities before orderly evacuations could be issued. That was California’s deadliest wildfire: Most of the 86 dead were elderly residents caught off-guard, while others were trapped as they tried to outrun the fire on narrow mountain roads.
After each disaster, Honea has promised improvements, from earlier action to less reliance on subscription-based phone alert programs.
The Bear fire saw the use of a federal emergency broadcast alert, including a message narrowly targeted to campers in the woods. Police vehicles drove through the area sounding special “high-low” tones that residents were expected to know meant “Leave.”
The Bear fire was not unusual amid the hot, dry weather conditions and terrain of steep, wind-funneling canyons. Two years before, similar northeast winds sent embers aloft and pushed the Camp fire into the town of Paradise at twice the speed, burning some 4,600 acres an hour.
In San Diego County, the Cedar fire in 2003 ran 17 miles in three hours; 15 people were killed. In the wine country of Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties, the Tubbs fire in 2017 traversed 12 miles in four hours, killing 22.
A Times investigation found that while early Butte County disaster plans approved by the state warned of canyon fires driven by east winds, those references were dropped after 2005.
To add to the hurdles faced by residents imperiled by the fast-moving, massive fire, counties posted evacuation maps that stopped at their borders. A Yuba County map ordering mandatory evacuations, for instance, not only was difficult to read but made it appear that the fire, and the danger, stopped at the county line. Butte County’s evacuation maps did the same.
“Why is a nearly unreadable map being put out for something as important as a mandatory evacuation? And why are evacuation advisories not being issued ahead of the mandatory areas? Wouldn’t it be prudent to give people as much of a heads up as possible?” one Facebook user asked Yuba County on Tuesday.
The written reply from the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department: “that’s all we have at the moment. Please use description of roads & regions above for better detail.”
Some firefighters also were critical of the response. One cited continued failure despite many evacuation disasters in Northern California.
“I still see a major lack of foresight. There seems to be some unexplainable hesitancy to call for evacuations in a timely fashion,” said a former area firefighter who asked not to be named, fearing backlash against herself and her family.
She said the danger to Berry Creek was clear if one looked at the fire maps and wind speed and direction.
Honea, for his part, emphasized the responsibility carried by those living in forested canyons where fire ecology is colliding with beetle infestations, overgrowth, logging and a warming climate.
“That’s why, for the last year or so, post-Camp fire, myself and my colleagues have gone round trying to impress upon people the importance of being prepared,” Honea said. “The importance of maintaining situational awareness, understanding what’s going on, especially if you live in a wild land, fire-prone area, and doing what you need to do to make yourself safe.”


latimes--2020-09-12--A vacation close to home? Stir-crazy locals turn to L.A.-area hotels

After months of working from her Santa Monica apartment during the pandemic , Devon Belter was feeling mentally drained and antsy to get away for a few days .
Instead of venturing to a far-off vacation spot , the 29-year-old marketing director booked two nights at the beachside Hotel Erwin in nearby Venice — a 10-minute drive from her home .
There she ordered drinks by the pool , took strolls on the beach and basked in the glory of not washing dishes for two days .
“ I feel like this sounds so silly , but I felt creatively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s home-bound anxiety is not unique , and hotels , restaurants and other Los Angeles hospitality businesses are trying to capitalize on the sentiment by promoting packages and discounts for locals who want to get away but are too put off by the pandemic to board an airplane .
The strategy may be working , with hotel occupancy rates in the Los Angeles region surpassing 50 % in late August for the first time since state health officials closed hotels to all but essential workers about six months ago .
Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , allowing leisure travelers to book hotel rooms .
Hotel guests don ’ t always say why they book a room , but industry experts believe restless locals are partly responsible for the recent boost .
“ The idea that the American consumer is sick and tired of being home and wants a change of scenery and hotels have been vocal about attracting them — all of that combined makes sense , ” said Jan D. Freitag , senior vice president for lodging insights at STR , a data and analytics firm that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Vrbo , two popular short-term rental sites , have also seen an increase in local stays , with Airbnb reporting that the rate of travelers booking rentals within 300 miles of their homes jumped from 40 % in February to 60 % in May .
A survey in July of nearly 900 Vrbo travelers found that when asked why they might take a family vacation this year , 67 % said they “ just need a change of scenery.
” “ Our data shows there are travelers booking vacation homes in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Vrbo spokeswoman Alison Kwong said in an email .
The Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board is encouraging the mini-vacation trend with a new campaign dubbed LA Love .
The tourism agency ’ s website boasts more than 100 local hotels , bars , restaurants , shopping centers and tour companies , many of which offer discounts specifically for locals .
With tourism from abroad largely suspended due to the pandemic , hotel operators and other hospitality business have no choice but to turn to locals to help revive L.A. County ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tourism leaders , the campaign marks a stark departure from past efforts , whose main goal was to attract “ long-haul ” travelers from places such as China and Europe who spend an average of about $ 4,200 per visit .
In contrast , the average domestic traveler spends only about $ 400 per trip .
“ The LA Love campaign can be a very quick injection in investment that , most importantly , can get people back to work , ” said Adam Burke , president and chief executive of the Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles is not unique in this effort .
New York , San Francisco and San Diego , among other cities , have launched similar campaigns to promote local tourism during the pandemic .
Once one of the nation ’ s top tourism destinations , L.A. County is forecast to draw about 29 million tourists this year , down from the pre-pandemic forecast of about 51 million , according to the tourism board .
Spending on such expenses as hotels , meals , tour buses and souvenirs is expected to total less than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of $ 25 billion before the pandemic struck the region .
Burke estimates that if every employed Angeleno stays three nights in a Los Angeles hotel , dines at three local restaurants and visits three nearby attractions , the local economy would get a $ 1.4-billion infusion of spending and create more than 20,000 jobs .
Hotel operators started to notice an increase in local guests booking rooms in late May , and they responded by creating packages , discounts and in-hotel activities to cater to locals .
Some of the discounts — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limited to guests who can show proof they live in California or L.A. County .
The historic Hotel Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles , which opened in 1926 , is offering a 26 % discount on rooms to guests from California .
The hotel is also hosting an exhibit by an L.A. artist , and it has sponsored the showing of drive-in movies in its parking lot .
Among the new health precautions : Guests can use a hotel smartphone app to order and pay for drinks by the pool without coming into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been cooped up for some time , it ’ s just nice to get a change of scene , ” said Marie Salcido , 28 , a tech worker from San Francisco who was spending five days at the Hotel Figueroa with her boyfriend Brian Droz , 27 .
Both worked on their laptops on a recent weekday while sitting by the hotel pool , ringed by potted plants , shade trees and decades-old cactuses .
Michael D ’ Amodio , vice president of operations for Seaview Investors , which manages seven hotels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas , said he noticed locals increasingly booking rooms starting around the Memorial Day weekend .
Among the deals designed for locals is a family package added at the Courtyard by Marriott near the Los Angeles International Airport that includes internet access and self-parking , plus snacks and popcorn for in-room movie watching .
The Hotel Erwin in Venice recently added a day rate for people who want somewhere to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that isn ’ t their homes .
“ This is definitely part of our pivot in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amy Castillo , the hotel ’ s director of sales and marketing .
Jon Landa , a senior vice president for the entertainment company Live Nation , said he and his wife have gotten so stir crazy from working from their Los Angeles home , packed with three teenagers and two dogs , that they have been taking a brief , local vacation nearly every three weeks .
“ It gives us a bit of sanity away from the kids and everything , ” he said .
The couple has stayed at hotels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rancho Palos Verdes and Marina del Rey , sometimes paying with loyalty reward points they ’ d accumulated on previous business trips .
The balm for the couple ’ s condition has been simple : drinks , dinner and golf , said Landa , 51 .
“ It ’ s just about being away from the monotony of the home life , ” he said .
Thomas Desage , a marketing executive at Warner Bros. , was not a believer in “ staycations , ” but after months of working in his Hollywood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Because of the pandemic , Desage , 45 , said he was nervous about traveling far with his husband and daughter .
He booked a discount deal at the Hotel Figueroa , a 20-minute drive from his home .
“ Sitting by the pool , drinking cocktails and eating food was all we did all day , ” he said .
“ It was a great getaway .
”

Marie Salcido, left, and Brian Droz, both of San Francisco, set up their laptops poolside at the Hotel Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles.
After months of working from her Santa Monica apartment during the pandemic, Devon Belter was feeling mentally drained and antsy to get away for a few days.
Instead of venturing to a far-off vacation spot, the 29-year-old marketing director booked two nights at the beachside Hotel Erwin in nearby Venice — a 10-minute drive from her home. There she ordered drinks by the pool, took strolls on the beach and basked in the glory of not washing dishes for two days.
“I feel like this sounds so silly, but I felt creatively rejuvenated,” she said.
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Belter’s home-bound anxiety is not unique, and hotels, restaurants and other Los Angeles hospitality businesses are trying to capitalize on the sentiment by promoting packages and discounts for locals who want to get away but are too put off by the pandemic to board an airplane.
The strategy may be working, with hotel occupancy rates in the Los Angeles region surpassing 50% in late August for the first time since state health officials closed hotels to all but essential workers about six months ago. Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted that restriction in June, allowing leisure travelers to book hotel rooms.
Hotel guests don’t always say why they book a room, but industry experts believe restless locals are partly responsible for the recent boost.
“The idea that the American consumer is sick and tired of being home and wants a change of scenery and hotels have been vocal about attracting them — all of that combined makes sense,” said Jan D. Freitag, senior vice president for lodging insights at STR, a data and analytics firm that specializes in the hotel market.
Airbnb and Vrbo, two popular short-term rental sites, have also seen an increase in local stays, with Airbnb reporting that the rate of travelers booking rentals within 300 miles of their homes jumped from 40% in February to 60% in May. A survey in July of nearly 900 Vrbo travelers found that when asked why they might take a family vacation this year, 67% said they “just need a change of scenery.”
“Our data shows there are travelers booking vacation homes in the same city as where they live,” Vrbo spokeswoman Alison Kwong said in an email.
Advertisement
The Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board is encouraging the mini-vacation trend with a new campaign dubbed LA Love. The tourism agency’s website boasts more than 100 local hotels, bars, restaurants, shopping centers and tour companies, many of which offer discounts specifically for locals.
With tourism from abroad largely suspended due to the pandemic, hotel operators and other hospitality business have no choice but to turn to locals to help revive L.A. County’s $36.6-billion tourism industry.
For tourism leaders, the campaign marks a stark departure from past efforts, whose main goal was to attract “long-haul” travelers from places such as China and Europe who spend an average of about $4,200 per visit. In contrast, the average domestic traveler spends only about $400 per trip.
“The LA Love campaign can be a very quick injection in investment that, most importantly, can get people back to work,” said Adam Burke, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board.
Los Angeles is not unique in this effort. New York, San Francisco and San Diego, among other cities, have launched similar campaigns to promote local tourism during the pandemic.
Once one of the nation’s top tourism destinations, L.A. County is forecast to draw about 29 million tourists this year, down from the pre-pandemic forecast of about 51 million, according to the tourism board. Spending on such expenses as hotels, meals, tour buses and souvenirs is expected to total less than $12 billion, compared with the forecast of $25 billion before the pandemic struck the region.
Burke estimates that if every employed Angeleno stays three nights in a Los Angeles hotel, dines at three local restaurants and visits three nearby attractions, the local economy would get a $1.4-billion infusion of spending and create more than 20,000 jobs.
Hotel operators started to notice an increase in local guests booking rooms in late May, and they responded by creating packages, discounts and in-hotel activities to cater to locals. Some of the discounts — as high as 30% — are limited to guests who can show proof they live in California or L.A. County.
Noel Delgado, left, and Tatiana Mendoza, both of Los Angeles, visit the Hotel Figueroa’s poolside restaurant. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
The historic Hotel Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles, which opened in 1926, is offering a 26% discount on rooms to guests from California. The hotel is also hosting an exhibit by an L.A. artist, and it has sponsored the showing of drive-in movies in its parking lot.
Among the new health precautions: Guests can use a hotel smartphone app to order and pay for drinks by the pool without coming into contact with a server.
“Having been cooped up for some time, it’s just nice to get a change of scene,” said Marie Salcido, 28, a tech worker from San Francisco who was spending five days at the Hotel Figueroa with her boyfriend Brian Droz, 27. Both worked on their laptops on a recent weekday while sitting by the hotel pool, ringed by potted plants, shade trees and decades-old cactuses.
Michael D’Amodio, vice president of operations for Seaview Investors, which manages seven hotels in the Los Angeles and Sonoma county areas, said he noticed locals increasingly booking rooms starting around the Memorial Day weekend.
Among the deals designed for locals is a family package added at the Courtyard by Marriott near the Los Angeles International Airport that includes internet access and self-parking, plus snacks and popcorn for in-room movie watching.
Before the pandemic, Mikki Hernandez, Lorenzo Cruz, Casey Wu and Colin Linggo hang out at the rooftop lounge at the Hotel Erwin in Venice. (Allison Zaucha / For The Times)
The Hotel Erwin in Venice recently added a day rate for people who want somewhere to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that isn’t their homes.
“This is definitely part of our pivot in response to the pandemic,” said Amy Castillo, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.
Jon Landa, a senior vice president for the entertainment company Live Nation, said he and his wife have gotten so stir crazy from working from their Los Angeles home, packed with three teenagers and two dogs, that they have been taking a brief, local vacation nearly every three weeks.
“It gives us a bit of sanity away from the kids and everything,” he said.
The couple has stayed at hotels in Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Rancho Palos Verdes and Marina del Rey, sometimes paying with loyalty reward points they’d accumulated on previous business trips.
The balm for the couple’s condition has been simple: drinks, dinner and golf, said Landa, 51.
“It’s just about being away from the monotony of the home life,” he said.
Thomas Desage, a marketing executive at Warner Bros., was not a believer in “staycations,” but after months of working in his Hollywood home, he changed his tune.
Because of the pandemic, Desage, 45, said he was nervous about traveling far with his husband and daughter. He booked a discount deal at the Hotel Figueroa, a 20-minute drive from his home.
“Sitting by the pool, drinking cocktails and eating food was all we did all day,” he said. “It was a great getaway.”


latimes--2020-09-12--'Brutal' smog from fires to worsen L.A. air, prompting some to weigh relocating

Adam Ho often asks himself why he lives in Los Angeles — its prices prevent him from buying a home or traveling as much as he dreams or entertaining to his delight .
“ In the beginning , it was the culture and the music , the pop-up food and the nightlife , ” said the aficionado of downtown L.A. , an out-of-work waiter .
“ These days , it ’ s COVID , peer pressure to wear or not wear masks , more fires than you ever imagined , and , man , the smog is brutal.
” And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisory from the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued Friday says two major local fires , as well as wildfires racing across Central and Northern California , are sparking challenges to residents the minute they step outdoors , not to mention leaving trails of smoke heading south , affecting vast swaths of land in the L.A. Basin .
The Bobcat fire exploding north of Azusa and Monrovia in the Angeles National Forest , with a burn area of more than 26,000 acres , was only 6 % contained as of Friday morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the El Dorado fire leaping up the San Bernardino Mountains near Yucaipa , spanning nearly 14,000 acres , was 31 % contained early Friday .
Both infernos pumped out substantial amounts of smoke , with the district ’ s monitoring equipment measuring hourly values in the “ unhealthy ” to “ hazardous ” air quality index categories since Thursday evening .
Southern California is also still dealing with smoke driven into the basin by fires to the north , some as far away as Washington state .
Fires are leaving ash particles small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coast AQMD ’ s PM10 monitors , according to the advisory .
The AQMD is forecasting that areas south of Bobcat along the I-10 corridor from Pasadena to Rancho Cucamonga “ will likely see the highest particulate-matter levels , as smoke is likely to remain closer to the ground overnight ” Friday .
Moreover , onshore winds are expected to start around noon Saturday , moving smoke north and northeast into the mountains of Los Angeles , Riverside and San Bernardino counties .
The popular IQAir app has forecast that Los Angeles ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unhealthy ” to the “ very unhealthy ” category by Sunday , with AQI levels between 200 and 300 .
The AQMD could not immediately confirm such projections , saying it will issue an updated advisory Saturday .
Air quality has continued to nosedive across Southern California , with the looming smoke creating a plume up and down the West Coast stretching more than 1,000 miles wide , said Philip Fine , deputy executive officer of the South Coast AQMD .
Ho , who has started tracking air quality , has downloaded apps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know and was reading up on multiple blazes as he texted friends , trying to decide whether to share Thai takeout over the weekend .
“ If we ’ re practical , we should stay in .
And as long as I ’ m in front of the screen , I might as well check housing prices in more affordable places , ” he said .
He ’ s thinking he should research a move to a less costly locale , such as Arizona .
Angie Cisneros , too , has thought about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better yet , Utah , since she would love to be close to the beguiling red rocks of the Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks .
The Echo Park store clerk said it saddened her “ not to see a single cloud ” while driving around L.A. Thursday and Friday .
“ This is not the scene we see in the magazines when we think of the City of Angels , ” she said .
“ Somehow , we have to take better care of our environment to come back to those bright @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these fire tragedies made me rethink why I want to be here.
” Cisneros said she ’ s “ very scared ” of weather conditions that will spread more ash over areas where she and her extended family in San Bernardino County live .
“ Unhealthy ” or higher air quality index ratings due to PM2.5 concentrations — tiny , soot-producing particles that can be damaging to the lungs — will vary throughout Saturday , affecting parts of Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside and San Bernardino counties , according to the AQMD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , ” Cisneros added .
“ You go out to the car , and it ’ s like extra icing that no one needs to eat .
I ’ m tired of all the unexpected extras in California.
” Here are tips for managing during times of poor air quality : • Take extra precautions to protect people with heart or lung disease ( including asthma ) , the elderly and children , as they may be more likely to experience poor health if they breathe wildfire smoke .
• Run your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Make sure it has a clean filter and that it is recirculating the indoor air to prevent bringing additional smoke inside .
• Create a clean air space in your home by using a portable air cleaner instead of or in addition to your air conditioner .
Do this in one or more rooms with the doors and windows closed .
• Avoid using a whole-house fan or swamp cooler with an outside air intake .
• Avoid using indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances , including fireplaces and candles .
• Do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection .
Paper masks can block large particles such as sawdust but do not protect lungs from the small particles or gases in wildfire smoke .
Disposable respirators such as N-95 or P-100 respirators can offer some protection if they are worn properly and have a tight fit .
Times staff writers Hayley Smith and Tony Barboza contributed to this report .

Ash and smoke were in the air over Seal Beach, Calif., on Thursday.
Adam Ho often asks himself why he lives in Los Angeles — its prices prevent him from buying a home or traveling as much as he dreams or entertaining to his delight.
“In the beginning, it was the culture and the music, the pop-up food and the nightlife,” said the aficionado of downtown L.A., an out-of-work waiter. “These days, it’s COVID, peer pressure to wear or not wear masks, more fires than you ever imagined, and, man, the smog is brutal.”
For several days now, the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued unhealthful air advisory due to smoke and ash from two major local fires, as well as wildfires racing across Central and Northern California. The air is sparking challenges to residents the minute they step outdoors, not to mention leaving trails of smoke heading south, affecting vast swaths of land in the L.A. Basin.
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People are advised to avoid outdoor activities at least into Sunday, with unhealthy air quality reported Saturday across the L.A. Basin and inland valleys. Air quality was somewhat better in Orange County.
The Bobcat fire exploding north of Azusa and Monrovia in the Angeles National Forest, with a burn area of more than 30,000 acres, was only 6% contained as of Saturday, according to officials. The fire continues to burn into the forest, which is good news for foothill communities that have been poised to evacuate if the winds shift. But many evacuation warnings remain in place.
Crews spent Saturday working the southern lines, trying to protect homes in Monrovia, Arcadia, Azusa and other communities.
Meanwhile, the El Dorado fire leaping up the San Bernardino Mountains near Yucaipa, spanning nearly 14,000 acres, was 31% contained Saturday.
RELATED: The Updated Air Quality Map for Southern California
Both infernos pumped out substantial amounts of smoke, with the district’s monitoring equipment measuring hourly values in the “unhealthy” to “hazardous” air quality index categories since Thursday evening. Southern California is also still dealing with smoke driven into the basin by fires to the north, some as far away as Washington state.
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Fires are leaving ash particles small enough to be detected by the South Coast AQMD’s PM10 monitors, according to the advisory. The AQMD is forecasting that areas south of Bobcat along the I-10 corridor from Pasadena to Rancho Cucamonga “will likely see the highest particulate-matter levels, as smoke is likely to remain closer to the ground overnight” Friday. Moreover, onshore winds were expected to start around noon Saturday, moving smoke north and northeast into the mountains of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Climate & Environment Your questions about air quality answered The air around Southern California feels like smoke soup because of wildfires. What does that mean for your health and daily routines?
Air quality has continued to nosedive across Southern California, with the looming smoke creating a plume up and down the West Coast stretching more than 1,000 miles wide, said Philip Fine, deputy executive officer of the South Coast AQMD.
Ho, who has started tracking air quality, has downloaded apps onto his phone to stay in the know and was reading up on multiple blazes as he texted friends, trying to decide whether to share Thai takeout over the weekend.
“If we’re practical, we should stay in. And as long as I’m in front of the screen, I might as well check housing prices in more affordable places,” he said. He’s thinking he should research a move to a less costly locale, such as Arizona.
Angie Cisneros, too, has thought about leaving California, for Louisiana or, better yet, Utah, since she would love to be close to the beguiling red rocks of the Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks. The Echo Park store clerk said it saddened her “not to see a single cloud” while driving around L.A. Thursday and Friday.
“This is not the scene we see in the magazines when we think of the City of Angels,” she said. “Somehow, we have to take better care of our environment to come back to those bright, beautiful photos. But really, these fire tragedies made me rethink why I want to be here.”
Cisneros said she’s “very scared” of weather conditions that will spread more ash over areas where she and her extended family in San Bernardino County live.
“Unhealthy” or higher air quality index ratings due to PM2.5 concentrations — tiny, soot-producing particles that can be damaging to the lungs — were expected to vary throughout Saturday, affecting parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to the AQMD.
“I’m totally stressed out,” Cisneros added. “You go out to the car, and it’s like extra icing that no one needs to eat. I’m tired of all the unexpected extras in California.”
Here are tips for managing during times of poor air quality:
Stay indoors, if possible.
Keep windows and doors closed.
Check local public health alerts and the Southern California air quality map.
and the Find an air-conditioned place, like a designated L.A. County Cooling Center.
Take extra precautions to protect people with heart or lung disease (including asthma), the elderly and children, as they may be more likely to experience poor health if they breathe wildfire smoke.
Avoid vigorous physical activity.
Run your air conditioner if you have one. Make sure it has a clean filter and that it is recirculating the indoor air to prevent bringing additional smoke inside.
Create a clean air space in your home by using a portable air cleaner instead of or in addition to your air conditioner. Do this in one or more rooms with the doors and windows closed.
Avoid using a whole-house fan or swamp cooler with an outside air intake.
Avoid using indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances, including fireplaces and candles.
Do not rely on “dust masks” for protection. Paper masks can block large particles such as sawdust but do not protect lungs from the small particles or gases in wildfire smoke. Disposable respirators such as N-95 or P-100 respirators can offer some protection if they are worn properly and have a tight fit.
Times staff writers Hayley Smith and Tony Barboza contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-12--Smoke blankets California as crews try to gain upper hand on sprawling blazes

A lull in the wind and heat Friday gave firefighters a chance to make headway against record-shattering fires in California as historic amounts of smoke continued to cause choking air pollution across the entire state and well beyond .
The scope of such widespread destruction was still being assessed .
In Butte County , authorities announced they had recovered nine bodies from the footprint of the North Complex fires , the deadliest this year .
An additional 19 people have been reported missing in the area of the fire complex , which has burned more than 252,000 acres and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So far , 19 people are known to have died in the enormous fires that began in mid-August .
Zygy Roe-Zurz waited frantically to hear word of his mother , Suzan Violet Zurz , who was missing from the community of Berry Creek .
“ I can imagine so many scenarios , ” he said , speaking by phone from Oklahoma .
A medical student , he last spoke with his mother Tuesday , when she was packing to evacuate with his aunt and uncle , with whom she shared a house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word that made them believe the fire was being contained , the wind was dying down and it would be safe to stay .
Fire , no stranger to these hills where the Sierra Nevada meets the Cascade Range , had bypassed the family before .
So they began to unpack .
A day of multiple phone calls gave way to silence .
Roe-Zurz saw news that Berry Creek had been entirely torched by the fire .
On Thursday night , investigators with the Butte County Sheriff ’ s Office called his cousin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , to positively identify the remains of his aunt and uncle .
They were found in a truck not far from their house , he said , but he does not yet know whether his mother was with them .
Knowing the fate of two beloved family members is “ a relief , but it ’ s also disturbing that they weren ’ t all together , ” he said .
“ My mom could have done something different .
She was the type of person who would have done her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveyed the damage of the North Complex fires Friday .
They destroyed more than 2,000 structures , a number that officials say may increase as crews further survey the area .
“ If you do not believe in science , I hope you believe in observed evidence , ” Newsom said .
“ We ’ re in the midst of a climate crisis .
We are experiencing weather conditions the likes of which we ’ ve never experienced in our lifetime .
“ This is a climate damn emergency , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s happening.
” The scale of the fires raging across the state would break records even if they were just half as big .
More than 3.1 million acres have burned .
The August Complex in and around Tehama County is the largest wildfire incident in California history , at more than 491,000 acres .
And it is so close to the Elkhorn fire — 255,309 acres — that the same incident command is now managing both , a revelation that sparked incorrect online reports that the two fires had merged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the state ’ s 20 largest recorded wildfires have started in the last month , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
With that unprecedented fire comes unprecedented smoke .
An acre of woodland can carry 2,000 tons of fuel to be released into the atmosphere .
The archipelago of fire from San Diego to northern Washington has put a gray shroud over a good swath of the planet , flowing thousands of miles into the Pacific and deep into Mexico .
And the lung-damaging particulates are coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the record-setting firestorms began last month has been in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley , where millions have spent weeks exposed to unhealthy air quality from wildfire smoke .
The smoke has been so thick in some areas that it ’ s been in the “ very unhealthy ” or “ hazardous ” range on the Air Quality Index .
In the Bay Area , which has been socked in with smoke thick enough to blot out the sun , local police departments sent alerts to residents about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief centers for homeless people Friday and urged everyone else to stay inside with windows and doors shut .
Seattle is doing the same and closed its parks and beaches over the weekend because of the smoke .
Southern California had been faring better , with the smoke still aloft .
But the situation deteriorated Friday with levels of fine-particle pollution — tiny , health-damaging soot particles known as PM2.5 — violating health standards across most of the Greater L.A. region of 17 million people .
As of Friday afternoon , pollution was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Valley downwind of the Bobcat fire , where PM2.5 was in the “ very unhealthy ” range .
Air quality was unhealthy across much of the Los Angeles area , including Central and South L.A. and southeast L.A. County .
Smoke advisories will probably remain in effect into the weekend , said Philip Fine , deputy executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District .
Fine said the unpredictability of wildfires — including how long they ’ re going to burn , how hot they will be and how much smoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to forecast air quality beyond one or two days .
“ Throughout Southern California , everybody is experiencing this , ” Fine said .
“ It looks like it ’ s overcast , but a lot of that is smoke from the Northern California and Oregon wildfires .
They have created a plume up and down the West Coast that ’ s over a thousand miles wide.
” The plume is “ generally moving south , ” he said , although that can change at any moment .
“ If you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Northern California and Oregon right now , I ’ ve never seen anything that widespread and bad , ” Fine said .
The smoke is helping the weather , keeping temperatures cooler .
Cal Fire officials also said an onshore flow next week will bring more humidity .
Despite the challenges , California fire officials say they have continued to gain ground amid weather conditions that are currently improving .
Though the near-term forecast is promising , officials warned that the fire season is far from over .
Roughly 14,800 firefighters are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Cal Fire .
“ Don ’ t let these cooler temperatures fool you .
Do not let your guard down , ” Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said Friday .
“ Historically , it is September and October when we experience our largest and our most damaging wildfires.
” Times staff writers Hayley Smith , Maura Dolan and Colleen Shalby contributed to this report .

Anita Chabria, Tony Barboza, Luke Money, Joe Mozingo

Gov. Gavin Newsom tours the North Complex fire zone in Butte County on Friday.
A lull in the wind and heat Friday gave firefighters a chance to make headway against record-shattering fires in California as historic amounts of smoke continued to cause choking air pollution across the entire state and well beyond.
The scope of such widespread destruction was still being assessed. In Butte County, authorities announced they had recovered nine bodies from the footprint of the North Complex fires, the deadliest this year.
An additional 19 people have been reported missing in the area of the fire complex, which has burned more than 252,000 acres and was 21% contained as of Friday night.
So far, 19 people are known to have died in the enormous fires that began in mid-August.
Flames shoot from a home in the Berry Creek area of Butte County on Wednesday. The tiny town was virtually entirely torched. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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Zygy Roe-Zurz waited frantically to hear word of his mother, Suzan Violet Zurz, who was missing from the community of Berry Creek.
“I can imagine so many scenarios,” he said, speaking by phone from Oklahoma.
A medical student, he last spoke with his mother Tuesday, when she was packing to evacuate with his aunt and uncle, with whom she shared a house. But he said they subsequently heard word that made them believe the fire was being contained, the wind was dying down and it would be safe to stay.
Fire, no stranger to these hills where the Sierra Nevada meets the Cascade Range, had bypassed the family before. So they began to unpack.
A day of multiple phone calls gave way to silence. Roe-Zurz saw news that Berry Creek had been entirely torched by the fire.
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On Thursday night, investigators with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office called his cousin and asked for a DNA sample, he said, to positively identify the remains of his aunt and uncle. They were found in a truck not far from their house, he said, but he does not yet know whether his mother was with them.
Knowing the fate of two beloved family members is “a relief, but it’s also disturbing that they weren’t all together,” he said. “My mom could have done something different. She was the type of person who would have done her own thing.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom surveyed the damage of the North Complex fires Friday.
They destroyed more than 2,000 structures, a number that officials say may increase as crews further survey the area.
1 / 42 Lance Georgeson of Mammoth Lakes paddleboards on Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 42 Thick smoke from multiple forest fires shrouds iconic El Capitan, right, and the walls of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 42 Benjamin Lewis takes a photo for a group of San Diego firefighters in Yosemite. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 42 A deer grazes in Cook’s Meadow as thick smoke shrouds the iconic landmarks of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds iconic Half Dome towering over Yosemite Valley in a view from Sentinel Bridge over the Merced River on Sept. 13. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 42 A Cal Fire truck passes a burned-out vehicle on Stringtown Road on Friday in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 42 Propane gas burns Friday at the ruins of a home on Zink Road in the Berry Creek area of Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 42 Melted goggles lie on the ground next to the burned-out truck on Stringtown Road. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 42 A crew from Trinity River Conservation Camp, a prison facility, does mop-up work on Stringtown Road on Friday, the day after a flare-up in the area. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 42 Scorched cars in Brush Creek, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire as it threatens homes in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 13 / 42 Flames from the Bear fire in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 42 A horse in a field in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 42 Frank Martinez, left, and Rick Wolfe with their nine dogs in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 42 A fox pauses amid burned brush in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 42 A statue is singed in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 42 Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 42 Firefighters work to save a home in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 20 / 42 A burned truck in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 22 / 42 A plume rises from the Bear fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 23 / 42 A table stands outside the destroyed Cressman’s General Store in Fresno County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 24 / 42 A vehicle streaks by as Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along California 168, with the Creek fire in the background on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 42 The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest battles the Creek fire as it approaches the Southern California Edison Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant on Sept. 6 in Big Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 42 Members of the Laguna Hotshots Crew walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew is silhouetted against a background of flames. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 42 The Creek fire burns along Huntington Lake Road on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 42 A vehicle streaks along California 168 as the Creek fire creeps closer to Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew battles the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation along California 168 as the Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 42 A firefighter works on the back-burn operation near Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 42 A duck swims in Shaver Lake as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez battles the Creek fire with a back burn. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 42 The sky glows orange around Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 42 Flames leap into the sky as fire engulfs trees near Shaver Lake. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 42 The Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 42 A man stands on a dock at the Shaver Lake Marina as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 42 Flames consume dry brush around Santa Barbara firefighters as they set a backfire along Oro Quincy Highway in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“If you do not believe in science, I hope you believe in observed evidence,” Newsom said. “We’re in the midst of a climate crisis. We are experiencing weather conditions the likes of which we’ve never experienced in our lifetime.
“This is a climate damn emergency,” he said. “This is real, and it’s happening.”
The scale of the fires raging across the state would break records even if they were just half as big.
More than 3.1 million acres have burned. The August Complex in and around Tehama County is the largest wildfire incident in California history, at more than 491,000 acres. And it is so close to the Elkhorn fire — 255,309 acres — that the same incident command is now managing both, a revelation that sparked incorrect online reports that the two fires had merged into an even bigger mammoth.
Six of the state’s 20 largest recorded wildfires have started in the last month, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
With that unprecedented fire comes unprecedented smoke. An acre of woodland can carry 2,000 tons of fuel to be released into the atmosphere.
The archipelago of fire from San Diego to northern Washington has put a gray shroud over a good swath of the planet, flowing thousands of miles into the Pacific and deep into Mexico. And the lung-damaging particulates are coming down.
The worst pollution so far since the record-setting firestorms began last month has been in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley, where millions have spent weeks exposed to unhealthy air quality from wildfire smoke.
The smoke has been so thick in some areas that it’s been in the “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” range on the Air Quality Index.
In the Bay Area, which has been socked in with smoke thick enough to blot out the sun, local police departments sent alerts to residents about hazardous air quality.
San Francisco opened relief centers for homeless people Friday and urged everyone else to stay inside with windows and doors shut. Seattle is doing the same and closed its parks and beaches over the weekend because of the smoke.
Southern California had been faring better, with the smoke still aloft.
But the situation deteriorated Friday with levels of fine-particle pollution — tiny, health-damaging soot particles known as PM2.5 — violating health standards across most of the Greater L.A. region of 17 million people.
As of Friday afternoon, pollution was highest in areas of the San Gabriel Valley downwind of the Bobcat fire, where PM2.5 was in the “very unhealthy” range. Air quality was unhealthy across much of the Los Angeles area, including Central and South L.A. and southeast L.A. County.
Smoke advisories will probably remain in effect into the weekend, said Philip Fine, deputy executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Fine said the unpredictability of wildfires — including how long they’re going to burn, how hot they will be and how much smoke they will create — makes it difficult to forecast air quality beyond one or two days.
“Throughout Southern California, everybody is experiencing this,” Fine said. “It looks like it’s overcast, but a lot of that is smoke from the Northern California and Oregon wildfires. They have created a plume up and down the West Coast that’s over a thousand miles wide.”
The plume is “generally moving south,” he said, although that can change at any moment.
“If you’re looking at the air monitoring data in Northern California and Oregon right now, I’ve never seen anything that widespread and bad,” Fine said.
The smoke is helping the weather, keeping temperatures cooler. Cal Fire officials also said an onshore flow next week will bring more humidity.
Despite the challenges, California fire officials say they have continued to gain ground amid weather conditions that are currently improving.
Though the near-term forecast is promising, officials warned that the fire season is far from over. Roughly 14,800 firefighters are still battling 28 major wildfires burning statewide, according to Cal Fire.
“Don’t let these cooler temperatures fool you. Do not let your guard down,” Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said Friday. “Historically, it is September and October when we experience our largest and our most damaging wildfires.”
Times staff writers Hayley Smith, Maura Dolan and Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.