Raging Wildfires Destroy Communities in California

Valley Fire wildfire burns more than 40,000 acres in 16 hours

The Valley Fire wildfire is burning uncontrollably south of Clear Lake in Lake and Napa counties. The fire has consumed more than 40,000 acres in less than a day, said CalFire.

Much of Middleton, a small community in Napa Valley , is being consumed by the raging fire, according to local reports. Some 1,600 or so residents had already abandoned their homed under mandatory evacuation orders.

Evacuations:

Mandatory evacuations –Hwy 29 (Kelseyville) at Hwy 175 south on Hwy 175 towards Cobb, Red Hills Road to Hwy 29, Hwy 29 X Hwy 175 south to Seigler Canyon Road (south side of Hwy 29), Hwy 29 Tubbs Lane (Calistoga, Napa County) to Hwy 29/Hwy 53 (Lower Lake, Lake County) Butts Canyon Road to Napa County Line, including Berreyssa Estates, Butts Canyon Road to Pope Valley. Communities of Cobb, Seigler Canyon, Loch Lomond, Middletown and Hidden Valley Lakes.

Advisory Evacuation:

Livermore Road, Summit Lake Road and north of the community of Angwin.  [CalFire]

The fire is “easily detectable from space, even through cloud layer,” said the National Weather Service (NWS).

Valley Fire Incident Information
Last Updated: September 13, 2015 6:40 am
Date/Time Started: September 12, 2015 1:24 pm
Acres Burned – Containment: 40,000 acres
County: Lake County
Location: off High Valley Road and Bottle Rock Road in Cobb

Fire Conditions

The Valley Incident has grown to 40,000 acres, 0% containment. The fire is burning in a south east direction from the Community of Cobb towards the communities of Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake. The fire is also burning north east from the Community of Cobb near the Community of Loch Lomond to Seiglar Canyon Road.There have been an unconfirmed number of structures destroyed. There are over 5000 residence without power. During initial attack four members of Copter 104’s crew suffered burn injuries and were transported to an area burn center. Additional resources are on order and responding to this incident. See below for Mandatory Evacuations and Road Closures . [CalFire]

Total Fire Personnel: 1,000

Related Links

• State of Emergency Declared in California Counties due to Wildfire September 13, 2015

State of Emergency Declared in California Counties due to Wildfire

California Butte Fire consumes 65,000 acres, dozens of homes, threatens 6,500 residences

Gov. Brown has declared a state of emergency for Amador and Calaveras counties, after Butte Fire wildfire destroyed dozens of structures and threatened thousands more, and prompting authorities to order tens of thousands of residents to abandon their homes.

Mandatory Evacuation Orders 

Residents in the following areas have been ordered to leave immediately:

San Andreas at Pope, West Murray Creek, Lewis, Miller, San Andreas Elementary, Goldstrike, Mountain Ranch East to Windmill, Wimbledon Drive, Forest Hill, and Turner Court.

Additional Mandatory Evacuation Orders, Evacuations Advisories and related information posted at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1221

California Butte Fire (FM-5111)

Fire Management Assistance Declaration declared on September 10, 2015

County: Amador & Calaveras Counties
Location: Butte Mountain Road, east of Jackson
Acres Burned – Containment: 65,000 acres – 15% contained
Structures Threatened: 6,400
Structures Destroyed: 86 homes, 51 outbuildings
Last Updated: September 12, 2015 9:15pm (PDT)
Date/Time Started: September 9, 2015 2:26pm

Total Fire Personnel: 3,852　[Source:　NIFC]

Other major fires in California include

• Gasquet Complex Fires,  Six Rivers National Forest, 29,525 acres, 13 miles northeast of Crescent City 7
• River Complex Fires,  Shasta-Trinity National Forest, 75,028 acres, 3 miles southwest of Denny
• Rough Fire,  Sierra National Forest, 117,034 acres, 5 miles north of Hume
• South Complex Fires, Shasta-Trinity National Fores,t 29,416 acres, 5 miles north of Hyampom
• Tenaya Fire, Yosemite National Park, 495 acres, 2 miles north of Yosemite Valley

States currently reporting large fires:
California (6)
Idaho (7)
Montana (4)
Oregon (3)
Utah (2)
Washington (11)
Acres Burned in Active Fires: 1,595,911

Year-to-date statistics 2015 (1/1/15 – 9/12/15)
Fires: 45,263 Acres: 8,617,473

Annual average prior 10 years 2005-2014
Fires: 55,814 Acres: 6,312,406

Significant Earthquakes Strike Gulf of California

M6.6 quake strikes SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico

Centered at 25.348°N, 109.402°W the quake occurred at a depth of about 10km, reported USGS/EHP.

The event was preceded by at least two foreshocks and one aftershock, as of posting.

M5.2, 45km SW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 08:27:17 UTC 10.0 km
M6.6, 59km SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 08:14:12 UTC 10.0 km
M5.3, 56km SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 07:57:40 UTC 20.8 km
M4.9, 55km SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 07:40:40 UTC 10.0 km

Nearby Cities

• 59km (37mi) SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico
• 79km (49mi) SSW of Los Mochis, Mexico
• 85km (53mi) SW of General Juan Jose Rios, Mexico
• 86km (53mi) SSW of Ahome, Mexico

Latest Significant Earthquakes

5.2 45km SW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 08:27:17 UTC 10.0 km
6.6 59km SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 08:14:12 UTC 10.0 km
4.7 85km N of Atka, Alaska 2015-09-13 07:59:16 UTC 179.1 km
5.3 56km SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 07:57:40 UTC 20.8 km
4.8 106km SW of Altay sumu, Mongolia 2015-09-13 07:51:12 UTC 10.0 km
4.9 55km SSW of Topolobampo, Mexico 2015-09-13 07:40:40 UTC 10.0 km
4.8 223km S of L’Esperance Rock, New Zealand 2015-09-13 07:05:13 UTC 10.0 km
4.7 32km SSW of Konak, Turkey 2015-09-13 02:57:27 UTC 5.0 km
5.2 38km ESE of Raoul Island, New Zealand 2015-09-13 02:55:47 UTC 44.8 km
5.8 35km SE of Bilungala, Indonesia 2015-09-13 01:13:12 UTC 122.7 km
4.9 Southern East Pacific Rise 2015-09-13 00:40:26 UTC 10.0 km
4.9 74km WNW of Luwuk, Indonesia 2015-09-12 23:39:16 UTC 10.0 km
5.5 76km NNE of Lae, Papua New Guinea 2015-09-12 22:16:10 UTC 46.0 km
5.7 151km SE of L’Esperance Rock, New Zealand 2015-09-12 20:32:25 UTC 10.0 km
5.2 South of the Fiji Islands 2015-09-12 16:42:31 UTC 75.5 km
5.1 57km SSE of Shizunai, Japan 2015-09-12 13:38:02 UTC 60.5 km
4.5 10km SW of El Sauce, Nicaragua 2015-09-12 11:22:03 UTC 4.0 km
5.0 59km SE of Molibagu, Indonesia 2015-09-12 09:49:27 UTC 61.5 km
5.0 3km NE of Nueve de Julio, Argentina 2015-09-12 08:13:49 UTC 10.0 km