Fire
Evacuations were ordered as dry, hot winds fueled a wildfire burning out of control in rural Northern California, sending a stream of smoke into the San Francisco Bay Area and adding a post-apocalyptic shade of orange to the city on Sunday, reports Mashable.
Just under a year since the deadliest firestorms in state history, intense wildfire has returned to the region, fanned by high winds and hot temperatures. Smoke and ash from fires burning in the Yolo and Lake counties filled the sky about 75 miles south in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday morning, giving the city a foreboding orange filter.
San Francisco sky is bizarre right now. Rayleigh scattering through this cloud is depleting all the blues and leaving us with a sepia sky. pic.twitter.com/weUDCkulsN
— Rick Zuzow (@RickZuzow) July 1, 2018
The fast-moving blaze that broke out Saturday in western Yolo County charred at least 34 square miles of dry brush and threatened more than two dozen structures in ranchland northwest of Sacramento. No injuries were reported and the exact number of people evacuated was unclear. Smoke from the fire was contributing to poor air quality in Napa, Sonoma, San Mateo and San Francisco counties, according to the National Weather Service.
“You can see the smoke and you can see an orange-red glow from the flames. It looks like a movie,” a resident said. “I’ve never seen a fire like that up close and it’s an intense feeling.”
A blaze burning for several days to the west in Lake County jumped containment lines Saturday, prompting additional evacuation orders. That fire was more than 70 percent contained after charring about 22 square miles of brush and destroying at least 20 structures.
San Francisco Sky today. No filter. 😱 pic.twitter.com/0nfhFtq1yX
— Alex Shyba (@alexshyba) July 1, 2018
Officials urged people not to call 911 about smoke unless they see actively burning fire.
San Francisco skies are scary looking from the Yolo County fire pic.twitter.com/SfYHQPtIaW
— can (@can) July 1, 2018
Stay safe, folks. Wildfire season is upon us.
