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Tag: state of emergency
Firefighter Dies Battling Northern California Wildfire

Firefighter Dies Battling Northern California Wildfire

By Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday for Northern California counties hit by wildfires, and officials announced that a U.S. Forest Service firefighter had died on the front lines in Modoc County.

David Ruhl, a South Dakota firefighter who had been working in California for several weeks, died Thursday while fighting the Frog fire, according to a statement on InciWeb. Few details were immediately provided, but the statement said Ruhl’s body was found by search and rescue personnel.

“This loss of life is tragic and heartbreaking,” Forest Supervisor Amanda McAdams said in the statement. “Please keep the family and all of our Forest Service employees in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Officials are investigating how Ruhl died.

Late Friday, Brown issued a statement from himself and wife, Anne, saying they “were saddened to learn of the tragic death” of Ruhl, “who left his home state to help protect one of California’s majestic forests…. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues with the U.S. Forest Service.”

The Frog fire has burned 800 acres near Adin, California, in the northeast corner of the state.

The U.S. Forest Service said it was lowering its flags to half-staff in Ruhl’s memory. The announcement came shortly after Brown declared the state of emergency.

“California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” Brown said in a statement. “Our courageous firefighters are on the front lines and we’ll do everything we can to help them.”

The declaration will allow faster deployment of resources to the fire zones, including the National Guard, if that is deemed necessary.

The state of emergency came as a fast-moving fire north of Napa Valley continued to grow Friday and new evacuations were ordered for residents in a nearby rural town, authorities said.

The Rocky fire grew to 18,000 acres and was 5 percent contained, according to a tweet from Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department issued a mandatory evacuation for Jerusalem Valley residents before 10 a.m., after the blaze moved north and jumped a road.

About 650 residents have fled their homes since the blaze began Wednesday afternoon.

Water-dropping aircraft and firefighters on the ground have been working around the clock to douse the flames and dig a containment line around the blaze, according to Cal Fire. The Rocky fire began at 4:10 p.m. Wednesday near Morgan Valley and Rocky Creek roads, 62 miles north of Napa, and traveled quickly, spreading into heavy brush and woodlands, Cal Fire said.

Firefighters were still assessing the damage caused by the massive blaze, but officials said the flames have so far destroyed three structures and multiple outbuildings.

The blaze is one of 18 large wildfires burning in California, requiring the deployment of nearly 8,000 firefighters.

In response to the wildfires, the National Guard mobilized nine helicopters to help state firefighters. Authorities are worried that thunderstorms forecast for the weekend could trigger dry-lightning strikes and more blazes.

On Thursday, a fire swept through an Isleton mobile home park, destroying seven mobile homes and forcing residents to flee. A small vegetation fire in the Solano County delta town got out of control and reached the homes before firefighters could quell the flames.

“We don’t have a hydrant system out here, so once our apparatus runs out of water, we have to rely on water from river drafting, which takes up a little bit of effort setting that up,” Assistant Chief of the River Delta Fire Department Jessie Rosewall told Fox 40.

Photo: Los Angeles county firefighters battle wild land fire in Wrightwood, California, July 17, 2015. REUTERS/Gene Blevins 

Baltimore Mayor Seeks U.S. Probe Of Police; Governor Lifts Emergency

Baltimore Mayor Seeks U.S. Probe Of Police; Governor Lifts Emergency

By Sarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan lifted the state of emergency in Baltimore on Wednesday, shortly after Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the city’s Police Department.

Hogan praised the National Guard and the police officers who “quickly brought calm and order back to the city.”

“We touched every corner of the city we could reach. We saw devastation and destruction, but we also saw incredible acts of kindness,” Hogan said during a televised news conference. “We saw neighbors helping neighbors. We saw a community that cares about each other.”

Rawlings-Blake, who also announced that Baltimore officers would have body cameras by the end of the year, told reporters that she aimed to ensure the department is not engaging in “a pattern of stops, searches, or arrests that violate the Fourth Amendment.”

“Baltimore continues to have a fractured relationship between the police and the community,” she said. “We have to get it right. Failure is not an option.”

The Justice Department said it is weighing the mayor’s request for a “pattern or practice” investigation.

“The Attorney General is actively considering that option in light of what she heard from law enforcement, city officials, and community faith and youth leaders in Baltimore yesterday,” Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said in a statement emailed to reporters.

Rawlings-Blake’s announcement comes one day after a visit by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who pledged to improve the police department. Lynch met with members of Freddie Gray’s family, community, civic leaders, and police.

Gray died April 19, a week after he was arrested by Baltimore officers, who had placed him in a police van to take him to precinct headquarters. But Gray, handcuffed with feet shackled, arrived unconscious and with a severed spine.

His death set off days of rioting and tense standoffs between protesters and police. Hundreds of demonstrators set police cars and businesses ablaze, throwing rocks and looting stores.

Of that rioting, Hogan said he “will never forget the lawlessness and violence” but will remember the “individual acts of charity and forgiveness” he saw.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby last week announced criminal charges against the six officers involved in Gray’s arrest and transport. The six, who face charges ranging from assault to second-degree murder, are free on bail.

City officials last year requested the Justice Department’s help in examining police practices and procedures, a long-simmering issue in Baltimore that became more urgent after a Baltimore Sun series found the city had paid nearly six million dollars since 2011 in court judgments and settlements for lawsuits alleging brutality and other misconduct.

Photo: Stephanie Rawlings-Blake via Facebook

California Gov. Brown Declares State Of Emergency As Wildfires Rage

California Gov. Brown Declares State Of Emergency As Wildfires Rage

By Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times

California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for two Northern California counties overwhelmed by wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and hundreds of homes.

The emergency declarations cover El Dorado and Siskiyou counties, which have been ravaged by the King and Boles fires, respectively.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday granted a request for aid that can cover up to 75 percent of the state’s costs to fight the King fire; federal aid already had been approved for the Boles fire, as well as the Courtney fire in Madera County.

Combined, the three fires have burned nearly 100,000 acres.

The most destructive in terms of damage to property has been the Boles fire, which erupted late Monday and quickly tore through the logging town of Weed, just west of Mt. Shasta. The fire damaged or destroyed more than 150 structures, including churches, a library, and the town’s sawmill. About 2,000 homes and other buildings remain threatened by the blaze, which was 65 percent contained Thursday.

The fast-moving King fire in El Dorado County, meanwhile, exploded in size overnight, from 27,930 acres to nearly 71,000 acres. More than 2,000 homes and 1,500 other buildings were threatened by the blaze, which was just 5 percent contained as of Thursday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. More than 3,300 firefighters have been assigned to the blaze.

In Madera County, the 320-acre Courtney fire has destroyed 30 homes, 19 outbuildings, and 13 vehicles. It was 70 percent contained as of Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, the state’s largest fire continues to be the Happy Camp Complex fire in Klamath National Forest. The fire, which began Aug. 12 and has burned more than 125,000 acres, is 68 percent contained, the U.S. Forest Service reported.

That blaze is made up of 15 fires, all of which were sparked by lightning.

Photo: Steve Rhodes via Flickr

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In Hawaii, Emergency Declared As Lava Approaches Subdivisions

In Hawaii, Emergency Declared As Lava Approaches Subdivisions

By Kurtis Lee, Los Angeles Times

Hawaiian officials called a state of emergency Thursday for portions of the Big Island after advancing lava from the Kilauea volcano came within a mile of a subdivision and threatened to cut off the major road serving the area.

“We are taking this step to ensure our residents have time to prepare their families, their pets, and their livestock for a safe and orderly evacuation from Ka’ohe in the event the flow continues to advance,” Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi said in a statement, referring to the Ka’ohe subdivision.

Kenoi called for the state of emergency after U.S. Geological Survey officials raised the lava threat from a watch to a warning for subdivisions in the Wao Kele o Puna area. A USGS warning means a hazardous lava flow is imminent and underway.

The subdivisions under threat are about 15 miles south of Hilo. According to Kenoi’s request for help from Gov. Neil Abercrombie, at least 8,200 people live in the area that could potentially be cut off. Kenoi said the lava was expected to cross Highway 130, which he described as the “only major thoroughfare” serving the area.

In a statement, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said civil defense employees would conduct door-to-door visits to encourage residents to prepare to evacuate.

Officials on Thursday limited access to the subdivision roads to residents only and urged others to stay away.

“The lava cannot be seen from the subdivision, and there is no reason for nonresidents to be in the Ka’ohe subdivision at this time,” Oliveira said.

Officials from the Hawaii County Civil Defense Administration and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory are holding public meetings to update residents on the lava flow.

AFP Photo/Patrick Baz

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