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RAGING WILDFIRES DAMAGED or destroyed over 100 buildings in California and forced hundreds to evacuate in the drought-stricken US state, officials said.
The Boles Fire, one of up to a dozen blazes gripping the state amid a heatwave, erupted near the town of Weed, some 280 miles north of San Francisco near the Oregon border.
By yesterday evening it was 15 percent contained and had damaged or destroyed over 100 buildings, and forced the evacuation of three nearby communities, according to CalFire’s website.
Winds gusting up to 40 mph helped fan the flames.
“The fire was able to rage right into the community before we were able to get fire equipment into the scene,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant told the Los Angeles Times.
“The fire was starting ahead of itself; the embers thrown ahead touched the brush and structures,” he added of the blaze, which covered some 350 acres.
Meanwhile, another wildfire some 140 miles northeast of San Francisco more than doubled in size, to 8,600 acres, forcing the evacuation of some 130 homes, firefighter said.
By yesterday evening the King Fire was threatening some 500 homes, according to the Sacramento Bee newspaper.
On Sunday some 1,000 people were evacuated near Yosemite National Park in central California. The blaze that began near Bass Lake burned 330 acres in a matter of hours.
Temperatures in central California rose to nearly 40 Celsius over the weekend, part of a heatwave expected to last through the common days.
California often faces powerful fires in the summer and fall, and the extreme drought of recent months increases the risks for more blazes this year.
- © AFP 2014.
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Good man Hugh. Can I suggest that you circulate this to some of your younger colleagues who have posted articles over the past few days which have suggested that the fans were responsible for this tragedy.
Hi Eamonn, can you give me any specific examples here?
@ Hugh. Sure, check out an article posted 22 hours ago in the Score section. The original wording was amended after I pointed out the facts of the Taylor Report but in the discussion below the article the writer repeats the assertion that " fan irresponsibility" was the cause of the tragedy. This is totally untrue. The Taylor Report clearly states poor crowd management and Stadium design as the key factors. Thanks Hugh.
@Eamonn: I understand this is a highly emotive subject, and I accept your point re:the ambiguity of the original wording, but your claim that I blamed the actions of fans for the tragedy is grossly inaccurate. I think if you re-read my comment, you’ll see that’s the case.
The significance of the Commons debate lay in its attempt to dispel the myth of fan irresponsibility once and for all, bringing the official, government narrative in line with the experience of supporters and victims. The PM is contemplating a public apology because that never really happened, even in the wake of the Taylor Report.
@ Conor. My concern is that comments like “The question of official blame, however, has historically been reduced to one of fan irresponsibility” is just simply untrue and unfortunately, only helps perpetuate the myth. I’m not sure how else I’m supposed to read this. This is totally at odds with the only official inquiry into the events leading up to the tragedy. That’s my point, nothing personal. Over and out. Thanks Conor.
Another of Thatcher’s legacies.
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