[ad_1]
A wildfire that destroyed more than 7,000 acres and forced 3,000 people from their homes was started by a firework at a baby’s gender reveal party, firefighters said.
The California Fire Department (Cal Fire) said in a statement that the El Dorado fire was caused by “a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used during a baby’s gender reveal party.”
The fire started Saturday morning at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, about 72 miles (115 km) east of Los Angeles.
Power lines have been damaged by wildfires in parts of the state.
By Sunday night, it had burned 7,050 acres and was 5% contained, Cal Fire said.
More than 200 people were airlifted to safety over the weekend after being trapped in a fire in a popular camping area in San Bernardino County.
Rescue teams in military Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters removed 207 people from the Mammoth Pool Reservoir area of the Sierra National Forest, the California Office of Emergency Services said.
The operation began Saturday night and continued through Sunday morning.
A photo tweeted by the California National Guard showed more than 20 people crammed into a helicopter, some crouched on the ground clutching their belongings.
It is one of several fires that prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in parts of California.
The proclamation includes the cities of Fresno, Madera and Mariposa, San Bernardino County and San Diego County, as fires have burned tens of thousands of acres, destroyed buildings and forced thousands of people from their homes.
Another fire, dubbed the “Creek Fire,” has charred more than 45,000 acres of wood, as well as homes and businesses, and despite 800 firefighters fighting it for two days, it has not been contained.
Other fires broke out in Southern California and forced evacuations in San Diego.
Firefighters’ work has been hampered by record temperatures across the state.
The San Fernando Valley posted a record 121 ° F (49 ° C), the highest temperature ever recorded in Los Angeles County, the National Weather Service said.
San Francisco saw nearly 38C (100F), breaking the previous mark by five degrees, while downtown Los Angeles hit 44C (111F).
That coincided with the top of California’s Death Valley, typically the hottest place in the country.
“By our calculations, more than 99% of California’s population is under an excessive heat advisory or heat advisory today,” the Sacramento Weather Service tweeted Sunday afternoon.
Los Angeles County authorities closed trails in the Santa Monica Mountains after a woman died while hiking, NBC said.
The woman, whose name has not been released, had been walking with a friend Saturday afternoon on a trail near the city of Calabasas when she began to feel ill and collapsed, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Juanita said. Navarrese.
On Saturday, authorities urged people to reduce their energy use, warning that around three million people were facing loss of electricity, before thanking Californians and declaring an end to the crisis.
Cal Fire said 14,800 firefighters were fighting 23 major fires in the state, up from 900 since Aug. 15.
Eight people have died, while more than 1.5 million acres have been destroyed and nearly 3,300 structures destroyed.
[ad_2]