SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have had a different rushing leader every year since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch arrived in 2017.

And they’ve gotten significant production from a group largely comprised of unknowns, though former first-round pick Carlos Hyde (2017) was a holdover from the previous regime. In the four seasons that followed Hyde, the Niners leading rusher has been a former undrafted free agent (Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr.) and a sixth-round pick last year in Elijah Mitchell.

If you tied your fantasy team’s hopes to a Niners running back based on the previous season’s production, you probably came out disappointed. As we head toward season no. 6 for Shanahan and Lynch, that trend may continue.

That’s because the Niners, for the second year in a row, invested a third-round pick in a running back, this time LSU’s Tyrion Davis-Price. This after the Niners re-signed Wilson and JaMycal Hasty while Mostert departed for the Miami Dolphins in free agency.

• Free agency: Grades » | More »
• Draft: Grades » | Top picks » | More »
• Coaching changes: Tracking moves »
• Schedule 2022 » | Power rankings »

The addition of Davis-Price gives the Niners a crowded running backs room that also includes Mitchell, Wilson, Hasty, Trey Sermon and undrafted rookie Jordan Mason. Not all will make the roster, but recent history shows the majority will contribute at some point in 2022.

“There’s plenty of room for these guys,” Lynch said. “Most seasons we’ve used four, we’ve used five. … We emphasize the run game here and we want versatile backs. I think we have that with our collection of guys, and we’re excited about that group. ”

While there’s no denying injuries have forced the Niners to play musical running backs in recent seasons, it is fair to wonder why they needed to draft another running back with a relatively early pick. That’s not a knock on Davis-Price so much as a testament to the Niners’ ability to uncover late-round and undrafted gems.

Just last year, the team selected Sermon in the third round and gave him every opportunity in camp to become Mostert’s primary backup. Instead, Mitchell emerged as the more reliable option and, after Mostert suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, Mitchell set a franchise record for most rushing yards by a rookie (963) while adding five rushing touchdowns. He did it in just 11 regular-season games, which speaks to his production but also to an inability to stay on the field.

For Mitchell, this offseason has been all about getting healthy after knee, rib, concussion and shoulder issues, and trying to bulk up to better handle the rigors of the NFL season. Mitchell hopes to play at 215 pounds in 2022, which is about 15 more than he carried last season.

“I definitely want to put some more mass on,” Mitchell said.

The 49ers still view Mitchell as their top option in the run game as they open organized team activities this week. But they also envision Davis-Price emerging as a bigger, more powerful complement. Listed at 6-foot, 211 pounds at the NFL scouting combine, Davis-Price ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. He played his final season at LSU around 225 pounds and says he plans to be in the 220-222 range in San Francisco.

• Parcells, family mentors prepped Elam
• Eagles’ odds soaring after additions
• Packers’ other two rookie wideouts
• Brown’s bank on Bell to replace Landry
• 49ers’ RB carousel may continue

That would give the Niners a more physical presence at running back, something they lacked in 2021 when none of their backs weighed more than Sermon at 215 pounds.

“I love delivering the blow,” Davis-Price said. “I don’t like getting tackled. I know it happens but I hate getting tackled. I love bringing the contact to them so that they don’t want to tackle you. In the first, second quarter they might take it a little bit , but eventually they don’t want any more of it. That is always my mindset, to go and attack the defender and wear them out, make them quit.”

That approach could go a long way in helping the Niners in short-yardage situations, where they were perfect in 2021 when close enough for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to execute a sneak but one of the NFL’s least successful teams when handing it off.

To wit:

• The 49ers ranked 29th in the league in third-down run conversion percentage, gaining a first down on just 42.4% of their rushing attempts on third down.

• On handoffs to running backs, their conversion rate of 42.1% was last in the NFL on fourth or third-and-3 or fewer.

• They averaged 2.3 yards per carry on third-and-2 or fewer yards, which ranked 26th in the NFL.

In 2021, Davis-Price had 36 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns on third or fourth down. From that, he went for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries when the Tigers faced third or fourth down with 3 or fewer yards to go.

While those might feel like deep-in-the-weeds numbers, it’s worth considering the Niners’ last two postseason losses came in part because of the offense’s inability to keep the chains moving in the fourth quarter. Davis-Price should also help lighten the load on star receiver Deebo Samuel, who split time between wideout and running back for the back half of the season after injuries ravaged the running back room.

“The more guys you can add the better, but kind of the physicality that he brings gives you a chance to have a very physical one-two punch,” Shanahan said. “I thought Deebo helped us do that towards the end of last year bringing that in, but you don’t want that to be just your one- two punch. You got to bring in some other backs to do that. I do think we have some guys on roster that have a chance.”

The post Fantasy homeowners beware: San Francisco 49ers operating again carousel could proceed – San Francisco 49ers Weblog appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The latest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. can be found at the CDC’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. page. (The CDC updates the webpage on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.)

Join anchor Kristen Sze for ABC7’s daily, interactive newscast about the coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area and around the world. You can check here to stream the show Monday-Friday at 3 p.m.

Feb, 28, 2022

2 p.m.
SFUSD to continue indoor masks following CA announcements
SFUSD announced Monday that indoor masking rules will continue to be in effect in San Francisco public schools despite new state guidelines ending the mandate starting March 12.

11:25 a.m.
CA releases new masking guidelines schools
Starting March 12, masks won’t be required in schools and child care facilities in California. They will be strongly recommended. March 12 is a Saturday. So effectively, the lift will take place Monday, March 14 or two weeks from today. It’s still unclear if Bay Area districts will lift their mandates.

8:25 a.m.
New masking guidelines expected for CA schools
California’s top doctor is set to provide new masking guidelines for schools today. That update is expected to include a date when the current mask mandate will be lifted, according to our news partner, the East Bay Times.

Today’s announcement comes after the CDC changed its guidance for masks in schools on Friday. Communities with low to moderate COVID-19 cases can ease masking mandates if they choose to do so. Seven Bay Area counties are in the medium to low risk of community spread category. Solano and Napa remain in the high risk category.

Feb, 25, 2022

5 a.m.
CDC expected to significantly ease mask guidelines
Today, the CDC will make a highly anticipated announcement, easing mask-wearing guidelines. It comes as the agency is shifting to new benchmarks to guide the U.S. on rolling back COVID restrictions.

Feb, 24, 2022

11 a.m.
Moderna officials ‘firmly’ believe 4th vaccine dose will be needed in fall
Moderna officials said Thursday that a second COVID-19 vaccine booster dose will be needed globally in the fall, given waning immunity and concerns over omicron and the potential for emerging variants. The company says it now believes a seasonal COVID-19 booster will be needed in the future, particularly for vulnerable populations

Feb. 23, 2022

1:20 p.m.
Target lifting mask mandate for employees and customers
Target announced Wednesday that the company will not require U.S. employees or guests to wear masks, as regulations allow. The company says it will follow state and local COVID-19 safety regulations.

6 a.m.
3 Bay Area counties improve to ‘moderate’ COVID levels

Three Bay Area counties have reached a new milestone. San Mateo, Alameda and Marin have improved to “moderate” COVID levels. Those three counties have lower transmission rates than the rest of the Bay Area, according to federal data. The region is averaging 26 new cases a day per 100,000 residents, down from 127 at the start of the month.

5:30 a.m.
New data shows COVID vaccines aren’t likely to trigger rare virus complication in kids

The CDC says new data shows COVID vaccines are not likely to trigger a rare complication from the virus in kids. The condition involves fever, swelling and heart problems.

Since Feb. 2020, more than 6,800 cases have been reported in the U.S., all in children who were previously infected with coronavirus.

That prompted the CDC to re-examine the vaccine. They found it is safe.

Feb. 22, 2022

5:30 a.m.
Vallejo to vote on lifting mask mandate

Vallejo’s City Council will vote Tuesday night on whether to rescind an indoor mask mandate.

The city says 80% of Vallejo residents are now fully vaccinated and COVID case counts are low.

With California allowing its statewide indoor mask mandate to expire, Vallejo believes it can make masks optional in municipal buildings and other city-owned venues.

The city council is meeting remotely, but it plans to resume in-person meetings March 8.

Feb. 21, 2022

6:30 a.m.
UK expected to lift all remaining COVID restrictions
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to lift all remaining COVID restrictions in England. Johnson will lay out the country’s “Living with COVID” plan later today.

It would lift the requirement to self-isolate for 5 days after testing positive for the virus. He’s also expected to scrap free COVID tests because of the cost.

But scientists say that will leave the country vulnerable to a new variant. More than 80 % of English adults have gotten their booster shot.

5 a.m.
Experts say 2nd booster shot not needed yet
Is it time for a second booster shot? Not yet, that’s according to experts. They are telling the Chronicle three shots is proving to be enough to fight off severe illness and death from COVID.

Antibodies wane months after a person gets their first booster shot, but so far, a total of three shots is still enough to fight off the most serious impacts of the disease.

Some people, like folks who are immunocompromised, are urged to get a second booster shot to be considered “fully vaccinated.”

Feb. 17, 2022

9 a.m.
Deaths projected to drop in weeks to come
Forecast models used by the CDC suggest that daily COVID-19 fatalities will finally begin to fall in the U.S. in the weeks to come. The ensemble model estimates that only eight states have a greater than 50% chance of having more deaths over the next two weeks compared to the past two weeks, and two states and territories have a greater than 75% chance of seeing an increase.

Feb. 16, 2022

9 a.m.
California among 15 states with increasing deaths
The U.S. is reporting an average of 2,200 lives lost to COVID-19 each day. Fifteen states are reporting at least a 10% increase in daily death rates over the last week: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia.

Feb. 15, 2022

9 a.m.
Calif. hospital admissions down 60% in last month
Hospital admissions in California are down more than 60% in the last month. Our test positivity average is just over 6%. It was close to 23% a month ago.

Feb. 14, 2022

9 a.m.
Black, Latino teens in Bay Area less likely to be vaccinated
Black and Latino teens ages 12 and up in the Bay Area are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID than their White and Asian counterparts, according to our media partner, the Bay Area News Group. They looked at local school district and public health department data to come to that conclusion. Experts say the disparity is a reason why school districts should not enact vaccine mandates for students. They believe a student vaccination mandate would result in tens of thousands of Bay Area students not being able to go to school — with many of them being students of color.

Feb. 11, 2022

7:15p.m.
San Mateo County libraries giving out free at-home COVID-19 test kits starting Saturday
Libraries in San Mateo County will be giving away free at-home COVID-19 test kits and free masks beginning Saturday, Feb. 12.

The county says it will distribute the following per household while supplies last:

No appointments are necessary, and tests and masks are available on a first come, first serve basis.

Families in need will be able to pick up at the following locations:

Belmont, Brisbane, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Millbrae, North Fair Oaks, Portola Valley, San Carlos and Woodside Libraries.

You can get more information by visiting this page.

9 a.m.
NYC’s unvaccinated workers face termination
About 3,000 municipal workers in New York City — less than 1% of the city’s workforce — face termination Friday after refusing to abide by a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The requirement, established under former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, applies to municipal employees hired after Aug. 2, 2021, who were told to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment and to unvaccinated police officers, correction officers, firefighters and others who opted to forego city health benefits and are currently on leave because they are not vaccinated.

Feb. 10, 2022

9 a.m.
Washington state to lift mask mandates
Washington became one of the latest states to announce it will be easing mask requirements. Gov. Jay Inslee said the state’s outdoor mask mandate will be lifted on Feb. 18, and he will provide a date next week on when the indoor mask mandate will end.

Feb. 9, 2022

9 a.m.
SF to drop indoor mask mandate for vaccinated next week
SF Mayor London Breed says San Francisco will match the state’s dropping of indoor mask requirement. Vaccinated people will no longer be required to wear masks in most indoor settings, including restaurants, bars, gyms, grocery stores, offices, museums, and other locations. The unvaccinated will still be required to wear masks indoors.

8:45 a.m.
Santa Clara Co. indoor mask mandate to stay in place
Santa Clara Co. Public Health Director Dr. Sara Cody announced she will not be lifting the indoor mask mandate next week with the rest of the state. Dr. Cody says hospitalization rates are still too high and metrics must be met to lift the mandate.

6:45 a.m.
Santa Clara Co. to make announcement on indoor masks
Santa Clara County is expected to make an announcement about when vaccinated people can stop wearing their masks indoors. The state of California is set to drop the rule next week. But it’s up to local counties to issue their own guidance. Dr. Sara Cody is set to give an update this morning at 8:30 on where Santa Clara stands.

Feb. 8, 2022

8:30 a.m.
CA COVID sick leave law returns
California’s COVID sick leave law has returned. Workers will receive up to two weeks of paid time off if they get coronavirus. It’s retroactive to the beginning of the year and expires at the end of September.

8:30 a.m.
New Berkeley mandates for workers, customers starts today

Feb. 7, 2022

8:30 a.m.
New Berkeley mandates for workers, customers starts today
There are big changes starting today in Berkeley, anyone older than 5 needs to show they are vaccinated before stepping inside a restaurant or gym. Employees have even stricter requirements. Workers have to show they are boosted. This is for places like restaurants, gyms, pharmacies, dental offices and childcare facilities. If they aren’t vaccinated- they can show proof of a medical exemption or religious belief that prevents them from getting inoculated. If you have tickets to an event that will have a crowd of 500 people or more you have five weeks to get vaccinated, Starting March 14th- you will be required to be vaccinated at an event like that- and a negative COVID test won’t be enough you have to be vaccinated.
Berkeley’s health officer say this requirement will help lower people’s risk for severe illness and will improve the community’s safety.

7 a.m.
New Jersey governor to end mask mandate for schools
New Jersey Gov. Philip Murphy is expected to announce Monday that the state’s requirement to wear face masks in schools will end the second week of March. Murphy, a Democrat, has imposed some of the strictest pandemic-related mandates in the United States. The move would follow a decision last month by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, to rescind his state’s mask mandate for schools.

Feb. 6, 2022

11a.m.
New Berkeley mandates for workers, customers starts on Monday
Two new mandates go into effect for Berkeley starting on February 7.

The City of Berkeley must require proof of full vaccination from customers 5 years old and up who enter indoor areas, according to city health officials.

Per the city’s website, it’s required for customers who enter the following:

Second, Berkeley employees must be boosted, “up to date” with their vaccination. These include employees at the following:

The city says this includes employees, contractors, volunteers, custodians, maintenance and other workers who enter those businesses, even after business hours.

You can read more on City of Berkeley’s website.

Feb. 4, 2022

2:15 p.m.
US death toll from COVID-19 hits 900,000, sped by omicron
Propelled in part by the wildly contagious omicron variant, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has hit 900,000, less than two months after eclipsing 800,000. The number of deaths, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is more than the populations of Indianapolis, San Francisco, or Charlottes, North Carolina. COVID-19 has become one of the three top leading causes of death in America, behind the big two – heart disease and cancer. To public health experts, the milestone is made all the more tragic because so many of the recent deaths were preventable. Just 64% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated.

12 p.m.
Sonoma Co. to let restrictions on large gatherings expire Feb. 10
With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations declining, Sonoma County health officials said Friday that the health order temporarily restricting the size of large gatherings will expire as scheduled at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 10.

However, they strongly encouraged seniors over the age of 65 with underlying health conditions and people who have not yet been boosted or vaccinated, to avoid large gatherings and continue wearing masks indoors around people outside their household, noting that the omicron surge is not yet over.

10:30 a.m.
Contra Costa Reaches 80% vaccinated, sunsets vaccine verification requirement
With 80% of all county residents now fully vaccinated, Contra Costa Health Services lifted its order requiring certain businesses, including restaurants and gyms, to verify the vaccination status or recent negative test results of customers.

4:45 a.m.
US death rate on the rise
The U.S. is now reporting an average of over 2,300 COVID-19-related fatalities each day — the highest daily death average in nearly one year, according to federal data. In the last week alone, the nation’s daily death average has increased by more than 31%. Overall, however, the nation’s average is still significantly lower than last winter, when the U.S. peaked at about 3,400 deaths per day.

Feb. 3, 2022

11:05 a.m.
Warriors home game booster requirement goes into effect
Starting tonight, Chase Center will require proof of either an up-to-date vaccination, including proof of a booster shot for eligible guests received at least one week prior to the event, or a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 24 hours (for antigen tests) or 48 hours (for PCR tests).

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

Feb. 2, 2022

10:45 a.m.
US death toll expected to approach 950,000 by end of month
Forecast models used by the CDC predict about 32,000 more Americans will die from COVID-19 by Feb. 26, bringing the nation’s virus death toll to nearly 947,000. The ensemble model estimates that 38 states have a greater than 50% chance of having more deaths over the next two weeks compared to the past two weeks.

Jan. 31, 2022

9:35 a.m.
Moderna gets full FDA approval for vaccine

Moderna has now received full FDA approval for its COVID-19 vaccine, the second vaccine maker to be granted full approval, after Pfizer. All three vaccines currently available in the U.S. were granted emergency authorization based on large clinical studies and at least two months of safety data. Moderna said the full approval was “based on a comprehensive submission package including efficacy and safety data approximately six months after second dose.”

Jan. 28, 2022

8:15 a.m.
VTA adds vaccine mandate for employees
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is adding a vaccine mandate for its employees. They have until April 29 to prove they’re fully vaccinated. Boosters are not required. Employees will have the option to request an exemption for medical or religious reasons. If approved, the unvaccinated employees would then be tested weekly for COVID-19.

Jan. 27, 2022

11:30 a.m.
SF to change indoor mask rules
Beginning on February 1, San Francisco office workers, gym members and other “stable cohorts” of people may remove masks indoors again, reinstating the mask exemption that was in place before the latest omicron surge.

6:15 a.m.
Deaths increasing to highest point in nearly 1 year
Daily COVID-19-related deaths — which are a lagging indicator — are steadily increasing to their highest point in nearly one year, according to federal data. The U.S. is reporting an average of more than 2,100 new fatalities each day, surpassing the average from last summer’s delta surge. However, the nation’s death toll remains significantly lower than last winter when the U.S. peaked at about 3,400 deaths per day.

Jan. 26, 2022

11:15 a.m.
East Bay teachers to meet over COVID safety
Teachers and the West Contra Costa County Unified School District will meet today to try and prevent a strike over COVID safety measures. The teachers union is demanding mandatory COVID testing, plans in case of an outbreak, and more substitute teachers. They also want KN95 and N95 masks provided to students and staff daily something the district says is already happening. While the demands are being negotiated, the district says more students need to be vaccinated to contain this surge. 54% of students 12 and older reported being vaccinated – a low rate compared to other local school districts.

Jan. 25, 2022

8:45 a.m.
The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over rising cases of a new omicron sub-variant. In an updated post to its website on Monday, the WHO said the new sub-variant, called BA.2, is a descendant of omicron, the now-dominant, highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus. Unlike omicron, BA.2 is currently not considered a “variant of concern.” But because it is spreading in many countries, the WHO is asking governments and scientists across the globe to monitor the situation and study the new sub-variant, as many have already been doing.

Jan. 24, 2022

9:10 a.m.
Conditions ‘ideal’ for more variants WHO warns
The head of the World Health Organization warned Monday that although people across the globe must learn to live with COVID-19 “for the foreseeable future,” we cannot “give this virus a free ride.”

“There are different scenarios for how the pandemic could play out and how the acute phase could end,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, said in opening remarks at an executive board meeting in Geneva. “But it’s dangerous to assume that omicron will be the last variant or that we are in the endgame.”

“On the contrary, globally, the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge,” he added.

Jan. 21, 2022

11 a.m.
Santa Clara Co. offering free at-home antigen tests with signups
Santa Clara Co. is offering a limited number of free at-home COVID-19 antigen tests to those who live, work, or attend school in the county. You can sign up through www.sccfreetest.org to obtain four at-home tests.

Those able to secure an appointment may choose from one of the distribution locations for pick up at a chosen time. Each person will be assigned a unique QR code which must be displayed to receive the tests. Tests are not available on a drop-in basis without an appointment.

6 a.m.
2-year anniversary of 1st COVID case in US
Today marks two years since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the U.S. It happened in Washington state and came just two weeks after the novel coronavirus was first identified in China.

Since that initial case, more than 68.5 million people have tested positive across the U.S. The infection has claimed more than 855,000 lives in the nation.

The pandemic has also impacted almost every aspect of American life since sweeping across the country soon after that first case two years ago.

VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine

Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window.

RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.

The post Coronavirus Bay Space dwell updates: San Francisco faculties will proceed to require indoor masking appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

OAKLAND (CBS SF) — City councilmembers may take a crucial vote Thursday afternoon that will move the city closer or further away from an agreement with the Oakland A’s for a new stadium in the city.

Councilmembers will vote on whether to certify the final environmental impact report, a necessary step toward a new ballpark. The A’s are also considering building a ballpark in Las Vegas and moving the team there.

READ MORE: Video Shows Armed Jewel Store Owner Foiling Hold Up In Redwood City

The $12 billion proposed project in Oakland includes a stadium seating about 35,000 people, up to 3,000 housing units nearby, a hotel with about 400 rooms, about 1.8 million square feet of commercial space, an arts venue for about 3,500 people and about 18 acres of land parks.

The development will sit on about 55 acres at Howard Terminal on Port of Oakland property bordering the Oakland-Alameda Estuary.

“A certified EIR will set the floor for the remaining negotiations, including robust community benefits and a development agreement that ensures that all Oaklanders benefit from this once-in-a-generation development,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said.

City council members will act on three items Thursday. Councilmembers will consider a resolution surrounding the project’s community benefits and compatibility with freight operations nearby.

Then the council will consider whether to certify the final EIR and whether to approve a jurisdictional ordinance describing what the city and what the Port of Oakland will do concerning the project.

Oakland A’s president Dave Kaval said the A’s are hoping the City Council certifies the EIR.

“It’s a big deal,” Kaval said. “Years of work have gone into this.”

Community benefits may include the construction of affordable housing as part of the project, which has been an important issue for city officials, as well as anti-displacement support and traffic congestion mitigation. The project is close to downtown and Chinatown.

Benefits may also include environmental and air quality protections. Kaval has previously said the project will result in cleaner air in West Oakland, the neighborhood nearest to the proposed project and one that has suffered from air pollution from freeways and the Port of Oakland.

Many of the goods traveling through the port go by rail, making it important that the project is compatible with freight operations. Not only will a bicycle and pedestrian bridge be built to accommodate travel over the nearby railroad tracks, but a bridge for vehicles is also planned, assuming the project is built.

READ MORE: UPDATE: Santa Clara County Health Officer Criticized for Keeping Indoor Mask Mandate

The vote to certify the final EIR requires councilmembers to agree that the report complies with the California Environmental Quality Act, that the impacts of the project have been analyzed and mitigations have been identified and imposed and that the benefits of the project exceed adverse impacts that cannot be mitigated feasibly.

Oakland cannot enter into any binding agreements with the A’s for a new ballpark until councilmembers certify the final EIR.

The City Council will not be considering the construction of a gondola that had been proposed to take people to games at the ballpark. Council members will also not be voting on a development agreement, also known as a binding financial agreement, for the project, and the final binding agreement necessary for the project.

Assuming the City Council approves the jurisdictional ordinance, the city will then take responsibility for Howard Terminal, which is currently on Port property.

The City Council could fail to vote Thursday, moving the vote to March. City officials do not see that as a major stumbling block to getting the project done.

Following the vote on the final EIR, all the remaining approvals come forward together including a general plan amendment and among other things, the development agreement. Summer is the soonest for those approvals, according to the city.

Kaval said the team continues to pursue sites in southern Nevada.

“We remain on parallel paths,” he said, in Oakland and in Nevada until the team gets a new home.

He said the team is “driving forward with great haste” toward that home. The A’s lease at its current home at the Oakland Coliseum expires in 2024.

“We’re desperately running out of time,” Kaval said.

The City Council meeting starts at 3:30 pm and the public can watch at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85184082009.

MORE NEWS: YES: “SF New Deal” Community Program Brings Aid to Small Businesses

© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The post Oakland Metropolis Council to Proceed Voting on Proposed A’s Stadium Thursday – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – If you are thinking of moving to San Francisco, now is the time to get cheap rent.

Here, other counties in the Bay Area can move into the less restrictive red tier

According to the Zumper National Rent Report for March 2021, the average 1 bedroom price in SF is down 24.3% since last year.

San Francisco still led the way when compared to other cities, with the most expensive 1-room price at $ 2,650.

Zumper

Reports throughout 2020 show that prices in cheaper cities have steadily increased, while prices in expensive cities have decreased dramatically. However, according to Zumper, these trends have slowed down significantly.

Zumper

“In historically expensive coastal cities, rents have continued to fall significantly compared to the previous year. At the same time, rents in historically cheaper cities throughout the Midwest and Southwest have increased significantly compared to the previous year, ”says Zumper.

The post March 2021: Rents proceed to drop in San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Story highlights

NEW: Death toll rises to 17 in Northern California

About 2,000 structures in the state are destroyed, according to fire authorities

CNN
—  

New evacuations were ordered Tuesday evening as more than a dozen wildfires raged across Northern California, with the largest ones killing at least 17 people as they scorched the state’s famous wine country.

The largest of the deadly fires were burning in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties, with flames ripping through the lush, picturesque landscape.

Officials in the city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County called for the evacuations of five more areas Tuesday evening. Already, 20,000 people had been ordered to leave the area and other parts of Northern California.

It is too early to tell whether any of the wildfires were started by humans, said Ken Pimlott, director of Cal Fire. “All these fires are under investigation,” he told reporters, adding that his department was focusing on rescues and firefighting. But he said the chance the fires were caused by lightning was “fairly minimal.”

Here’s what we know so far, according to California authorities.

• Ten people have died and the number is expected to grow.

• Two of those who died were in Napa County, county spokeswoman Kristi Jourdan said. They were 100-year-old Charles Rippey and his wife, Sara, 98. They died when a fire engulfed their home near the Silverado Country Club north of Napa, Jourdan said.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
FRIDA/MEGA/Newscom

Aerial images showing parts of Sonoma and Napa County that have been hit by wildfires.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Randy Pench/The Sacramento Bee/AP

Colby Clark, left, comforts her mother, Bonnie Trexler, after law enforcement escorted them to Trexler’s home in Napa, California, to retrieve medicine and personal items on Wednesday, October 11. Trexler was one of the lucky few in her neighborhood whose home was spared. Deadly wildfires have been tearing through the state, destroying homes and businesses and prompting evacuation orders.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Highway Patrol officers go door to door to ask Sonoma residents to evacuate their homes as a wildfire approaches on October 11.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Homes are destroyed in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa on October 11.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Karl Mondon/San Jose Mercury News/AP

The sign of a Firestone store malfunctions in Santa Rosa on Tuesday, October 10.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Ben Margot/AP

Damaged winemaking vats and tanks stand in ashes and debris at the Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

Smoke clouds the sun from wildfires burning in Santa Rosa and Napa Valley on October 10.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Jeff Chiu/AP

Mary Caughey, center in blue, reacts after finding her wedding ring in the remains of her home in Kenwood on October 10.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Puddles of melted metal trail away from a burned-out car near Napa on October 10.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Peter DaSilva/Polaris

A TV cameraman inches closer to a burning building at a winery in Napa Valley on Monday, October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Will Lester/The Orange County Register/AP

A firefighting plane helps battle a blaze just north of Tustin on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Kent Porter/The Press Democrat/AP

A historic barn burns in Santa Rosa on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

The Santa Rosa Hilton Hotel burns to the ground on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP

Jim Stites watches as part of his neighborhood burns in Fountaingrove on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Ben Margot/AP

Fire burns from an open gas valve near the pool area of a Santa Rosa trailer park on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A man rushes to save his house as a wildfire moves through Glen Ellen on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Jeff Chiu/AP

Kristine Pond searches what’s left of her family’s home in Santa Rosa on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Police cars block State Route 241 as smoke rises above Orange on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A firefighter douses flames in Santa Rosa on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
ROBYN BECK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

A woman moves horses in Orange as strong Santa Ana winds blow smoke from the Canyon 2 fire toward them on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

A firefighter douses flames at a home in Anaheim on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Traffic backs up as people flee Orange on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Kent Porter/AP

Santa Rosa residents sift through the remains of a burned home on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The remains of fire-damaged homes and cars smolder at a Santa Rosa trailer park on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

A tent structure built for the Safeway Open golf tournament burns in Napa on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Fire consumes a barn in Glen Ellen on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Smoke rises in the hills east of Napa on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

A man passes a burning house in Napa on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The remains of fire-damaged homes are seen in Glen Ellen on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Steve Page/AP

A wildfire burns behind the Sonoma Raceway on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Noah Berger/San Francisco Chronicle/Polaris

A building burns in Napa on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

Flames overtake a building in the Napa wine region on October 9.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California

PHOTO:
Jeff Chiu/AP

Two women hug as they watch houses burn in Santa Rosa on October 9.

• About 2,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed by the fires in Northern California, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday.

• More than 100 people were being treated at Napa- and Sonoma-area hospitals for fire-related injuries or health issues, including burns, smoke inhalation and shortness of breath.

• An estimated 1,500 structures have been destroyed and 57,000 acres burned in eight counties.

Before and after: Images of California devastation

• Most of the Northern California fires ignited Sunday night, driven by winds of more than 50 mph and dry conditions, Pimlott said Monday. The high winds led to “extreme rates of spread and volatile burning conditions,” according to Cal Fire.

Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park Neighboorhood

Google Maps, CHP – Golden Gate Division

• More than 180 people are missing, but authorities think communications issues are making it impossible for many of those people to check in with family.

Margaret Curzon said her parents lost almost everything in the wildfire that destroyed their home and the Coffey Park neighborhood in Santa Rosa, a city of about 175,000 roughly 50 miles northwest of San Francisco.

Her mom woke up early Monday morning and smelled smoke, but thought it was the neighbor’s barbecue or chimney, so she went back to sleep. They woke up again because their bichon frise, Brady, was whimpering.

Her father looked outside and his first thought was that there was some sort of bomb, or an attack.

“It looked like we were at war,” Curzon said. “The sky was orange and there were embers falling from the sky.”

Curzon said her parents had five or 10 minutes to grab their two dogs and anything else they could and escape.

She said it took about a half-hour to get out of their neighborhood because cars were bumper to bumper.

“He could feel the car getting hotter and hotter because the fire kept creeping up and getting closer to them,” she said.

The only thing that remained at her house was a concrete statue of the Virgin Mary, Curzon said after visiting the home site later Monday.

David McNew/Getty Images

Almost nothing is left of a home in Santa Rosa, California.

The devastation was significant in Santa Rosa. Fire leveled subdivisions and reduced cars and homes into burnt piles of ash and rubble.

Nearly 5,000 people were staying in Sonoma County shelters, county spokesman Scott Alonso said Tuesday.

A large part of Santa Rosa was evacuated, including Kaiser Permanente Hospital and Sutter Hospital. Authorities imposed a sundown-to-sunrise curfew for the northern and eastern parts of the city under evacuation orders.

Janice Abdalla/CNN iReport

Janice Abdalla captured this image of fires on a Monday flight into San Francisco International Airport.

“We are asking people to stay indoors” because of smoke, Alonso said.

There is no rain in the forecast this week, according to the National Weather Service. Winds in the next two days will come out of the north at around 10 to 20 mph with higher gusts of 35 to 40 mph possible, CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy said.

Family searches for woman after Santa Rosa fire

The biggest blaze was the Tubbs fire, at 27,000 acres, stretching from Santa Rosa to the Calistoga area in Napa County.

That fire has destroyed at least 571 structures, Cal Fire said Tuesday, making it one of the top 15 most destructive fires in recorded California history.

Napa County also had the Atlas fire at 25,000 acres and the Partrick fire at 1,000 acres.

In Sonoma County, firefighters battled the Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa, the Nuns fire at 5,000 acres and another fire that spread across 2,000 acres.

In Mendocino County, the Redwood Complex fire had burned at least 21,000 acres, as of Tuesday.

Large wildfires often are named for local geographic areas or features.

The Atlas fire destroyed several homes near the Silverado Country Club north of Napa, CNN affiliate KPIX reported, including the house where the Rippeys died.

Also in that area, fire burned the main building of the Signorello Estate Winery to the ground. Broken and charred wine bottles remained on seared metal shelves, video from KPIX showed.

Parts of northern California have been ravaged by intense wildfires that have now consumed ~100,000 acres of land: https://t.co/lIcpfpN9Yb pic.twitter.com/mHOAOqJRKa

— NASA (@NASA) October 10, 2017

The city of Napa, with about 80,000 residents, was not under evacuation. But parts of it were under a boil-water notice Tuesday, because fires destroyed a pump station near the Silverado resort and rendered a water treatment plant inoperable, the city said. Many in Napa also lost power and cell service, according to the Napa police.

Alison Crowe, the winemaker for Garnet Vineyards & Picket Fence Vineyards in Napa Valley, estimated two-thirds to three-fourths of the grape harvest already had taken place but said some grapes still haven’t been picked. The 2017 harvest will be remembered for this fire, she said.

The Signorello Estate winery

“Wine doesn’t matter; people matter,” she said Monday. “I know that’s people’s attitude right now.”

Napa and Sonoma counties have the most wineries in California. The economic impact from the wine industry was estimated at $13 billion for each county, according to 2012 and 2014 research done by Stonebridge Research Group.

Complicating firefighting efforts are low humidity and a lack of resources, Napa County Fire Chief Barry Biermann said.

“As of right now, with these conditions, we can’t get in front of this fire and do anything about the forward progress,” he said, adding that resources from across California were to begin arriving in the area later Monday.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday issued emergency proclamations for Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Solano and Orange counties. Orange County in the south is dealing with a 7,500-acre fire that has destroyed 14 structures, damaged 22 and threatens 5,000 others, Orange County fire Capt. Larry Kurtz said.

Pictures from Disneyland in Anaheim on Tuesday afternoon showed the sky with an orange glow.

“These fires have destroyed structures and continue to threaten thousands of homes, necessitating the evacuation of thousands of residents,” the governor’s emergency proclamation said. “These fires have damaged and continue to threaten critical infrastructure and have forced the closure of major highways and local roads.”

The White House said President Donald Trump has signed a major disaster declaration and fire management assistance grants for the state.

“The loss of homes and burning of precious land is heartbreaking but the loss of life is truly devastating,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Trump vows US will ‘stand with’ Californians during wildfires

CNN’s Dan Simon and Miguel Marquez contributed to this report from Santa Rosa, California. CNN’s Ralph Ellis, David Williams, Keith Allen, Chuck Johnston, Stella Chan, Dave Alsup, Joe Sutton, Judson Jones, Joe Sterling, Paul P. Murphy and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.

The post California fires: 17 lifeless, evacuations proceed appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The death toll from a massive fire that swept through the mountain communities of Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties has risen to 10, and 16 people remain missing, fire officials said Thursday evening.

The North Complex fire mushroomed in size this week, scorching a total of more than 252,000 acres and forcing some 20,000 residents in Plumas, Butte and Yuba counties from their homes. Officials said the bodies of seven more people were found Thursday as they searched through hamlets where the fire burned.

A hand crew was overrun by flames in the fire’s West Zone in Butte County, which had become extremely unpredictable due to erratic weather changes. The crew was able to escape, but two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

1/42

Lance Georgeson of Mammoth Lakes paddleboards on Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

2/42

Thick smoke from multiple forest fires shrouds iconic El Capitan, right, and the walls of Yosemite Valley. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

3/42

Benjamin Lewis takes a photo for a group of San Diego firefighters in Yosemite. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

4/42

A deer grazes in Cook’s Meadow as thick smoke shrouds the iconic landmarks of Yosemite Valley. 

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

5/42

Thick smoke shrouds iconic Half Dome towering over Yosemite Valley in a view from Sentinel Bridge over the Merced River on Sept. 13. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

6/42

Thick smoke shrouds Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

7/42

A Cal Fire truck passes a burned-out vehicle on Stringtown Road on Friday in Oroville, Calif. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

8/42

Propane gas burns Friday at the ruins of a home on Zink Road in the Berry Creek area of Butte County. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

9/42

Melted goggles lie on the ground next to the burned-out truck on Stringtown Road. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

10/42

A crew from Trinity River Conservation Camp, a prison facility, does mop-up work on Stringtown Road on Friday, the day after a flare-up in the area. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

11/42

Scorched cars in Brush Creek, Calif. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

12/42

A firefighter battles the Creek fire as it threatens homes in Madera County. 

(Noah Berger / Associated Press)

13/42

Flames from the Bear fire in Oroville, Calif. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

14/42

A horse in a field in Butte County. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

15/42

Frank Martinez, left, and Rick Wolfe with their nine dogs in Oroville, Calif. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

16/42

A fox pauses amid burned brush in Butte County. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

17/42

A statue is singed in Butte County. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

18/42

Lake Oroville in Butte County. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

19/42

Firefighters work to save a home in Butte County. 

(Noah Berger / Associated Press)

20/42

A burned truck in Butte County. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

21/42

A firefighter battles the Creek fire in Madera County. 

(Noah Berger / Associated Press)

22/42

A plume rises from the Bear fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County. 

(Noah Berger / Associated Press)

23/42

A table stands outside the destroyed Cressman’s General Store in Fresno County. 

(Noah Berger / Associated Press)

24/42

A vehicle streaks by as Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along California 168, with the Creek fire in the background on Sept. 6.  

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

25/42

The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest battles the Creek fire as it approaches the Southern California Edison Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant on Sept. 6 in Big Creek, Calif. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

26/42

Members of the Laguna Hotshots Crew walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek fire on Sept. 6. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

27/42

A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew is silhouetted against a background of flames. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

28/42

The Creek fire burns along Huntington Lake Road on Sept. 6. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

29/42

A vehicle streaks along California 168 as the Creek fire creeps closer to Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

30/42

A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew battles the Creek fire on Sept. 6.  

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

31/42

A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation along California 168 as the Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

32/42

Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6.  

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

33/42

A firefighter works on the back-burn operation near Shaver Lake Marina. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

34/42

A duck swims in Shaver Lake as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6.  

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

35/42

Firefighter Ricardo Gomez battles the Creek fire with a back burn. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

36/42

The sky glows orange around Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

37/42

A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

38/42

Flames leap into the sky as fire engulfs trees near Shaver Lake. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

39/42

The Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6.  

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

40/42

Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6.  

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

41/42

A man stands on a dock at the Shaver Lake Marina as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6.  

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

42/42

Flames consume dry brush around Santa Barbara firefighters as they set a backfire along Oro Quincy Highway in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Oroville. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The North Complex was one of the fires that exploded in size this week as record-high temperatures and strong winds beset the state. Flames raced through the northern Sierra Nevada foothills before dawn Wednesday — catching crews and residents off-guard as they leaped southwest toward towns in Butte County, including the community of Paradise, which was largely destroyed by the 2018 Camp fire.

Steve Kaufmann, a spokesman for the fire’s response team, said 2,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged, though that number may increase after crews further assess the area Friday.

So much smoke enveloped the region that it shaded the fire from the sun, reducing temperatures and increasing the humidity Thursday, according to an incident meteorologist. Though the smoke impedes firefighters’ aircraft response, it has helped with the firefight slightly. As of Thursday evening, the North Complex fire is 23% contained.

The incident is now the 10th-largest wildfire in state history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Wildfires have burned more than 3.1 million acres statewide this year — the largest amount on record. At least 19 people have died and thousands of structures have been destroyed.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said dangerously dry conditions led “to explosive fires that have really just skyrocketed us past the 3-million mark for the first time in our recorded history.”

“Unfortunately, with several more months of fire season to go, this number could continue to increase,” he said Thursday.

The Dolan fire, which ignited Aug. 18 north of Limekiln State Park in Monterey County, has also seen extreme growth this week. Officials said the combination of high temperatures, dry fuels and wind combined to more than triple the size of the fire, to more than 111,000 acres.

The fire also has spread to the Army’s Ft. Hunter Liggett, though that property has not been forced to evacuate, officials said.

Near the Oregon border, the Slater fire has grown to 120,000 acres since it ignited Monday in the Klamath National Forest. The fire is threatening the communities of O’Brien, Takilma, Cave Junction and Gasquet, and destroyed 150 structures in Happy Camp.

Embers fly across a roadway as the Bear fire burns in Oroville.

(Noah Berger/Associated Press)

While the mid-August lightning siege set California on the path toward a historic and horrifyingly active fire season, a second salvo of summer infernos has since pushed the toll to more devastating heights.

The unprecedented firestorm prompted the U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday to temporarily close all national forests in California.

Many officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have said the effects of climate change have helped set the stage for this year’s prolific fire season.

“I quite literally have no patience for climate change deniers,” he said Tuesday.

“You may not believe it intellectually,” he added. “But your own eyes, your own experiences, tell a different story.”

So far this year, almost 7,700 fires have ignited statewide, according to Berlant.

“This year has already been a very destructive fire season, and it is nowhere close to being over,” he said Wednesday.

Six of the state’s 20 largest wildfires have started in the past month or so, according to Cal Fire. That includes the August Complex, which has burned an all-time record 471,185 acres in a remote area in and around Tehama County.

The smoldering remains of a structure along Auberry Road, where the Creek fire tore through and jumped Highway 168 in Fresno County.

(Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

That complex — which started Aug. 17 as a cluster of 37 distinct fires in the Mendocino National Forest — was 24% contained as of Thursday. The most recent acreage figure pushed it well past the 2018 Mendocino Complex fire, which burned more than 459,000 acres.

Crews have almost completely hemmed in the SCU Lightning and LNU Lightning complexes, which rank as the third- and fourth-largest wildfires in state history, at 396,624 and 363,220 acres, respectively.

The SCU complex — which began as a collection of about 20 blazes in Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties — is now 98% contained. Containment is at 95% for the LNU complex, which has charred parts of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano, Yolo and Colusa counties.

Joining those complexes on the distressing leaderboard is the Elkhorn fire, which is burning in the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers national forests. It has scorched 255,309 acres — the ninth-largest burn zone — and was 27% contained as of Thursday.

Firefighters conduct a back burn operation along Highway 68 during the Creek fire as it approaches the Shaver Lake Marina.

(Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

The massive Creek fire, which has chewed through more than 175,000 acres, destroyed an estimated 360 structures and prompted widespread evacuations in the Sierra foothills northeast of Fresno, is currently the 17th-largest in state history.

The fire caused an explosion in China Peak Mountain Resort, igniting a bunker of explosives that were used for avalanche mitigation, Fresno sheriff’s officials said. There was some damage to the resort, but no one was injured.

As is the case for the North Complex fire, the layer of smoke over the Creek fire has helped improve weather conditions. Milder winds and temperatures allowed firefighters to make progress for the first time, increasing the fire’s containment to 6%.

“We’re really trying to start gaining containment on this fire,” said Chris Vestal, a spokesman for the Creek fire response. “A lot of what we want to do is make sure everything that is standing stays standing.”

Firefighters also made progress with the fast-growing Bobcat fire, which doubled in size in one day to nearly 24,000 acres. The fire burning in the San Gabriel Mountains is now 6% contained, according to an incident report. The fire’s growth was largely in the northeast direction Thursday, sparing foothill residential communities.

The Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower in San Francisco are shrouded by wildfire smoke.

(Eric Risberg / Associated Press )

Six areas remain under an evacuation warning: Duarte, Bradbury, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena and Altadena.

Near Yucaipa, the El Dorado fire had burned almost 14,000 acres and was 31% contained as of Thursday morning. Though there’s no current threat to communities in Big Bear Valley, Cal Fire officials issued an advisory asking visitors to postpone visits to the area in case evacuations are ordered.

In San Diego County near the Mexican border, the Valley fire grew to 17,665 acres and was 35% contained, according to Cal Fire. Officials were reporting 15% containment for the 1,300-acre Willow fire, which sparked north of Smartsville in Yuba County on Wednesday. That fire has destroyed 30 structures, according to Cal Fire, while 700 others are considered threatened.

A firefighter watches flames ignite a tree as fire continues to spread at the Bear fire in Oroville.

(Josh Edelson / AFP )

The hope is that weather conditions will “improve across the state today, with most areas experiencing seasonal temperatures and dry conditions,” according to Cal Fire.

“Northern California should expect average temperatures through the weekend, with a possible cooling trend next week,” officials wrote in a statewide situation update Thursday. “In Southern California, temperatures will be at or slightly above normal.”

That would be a boon to firefighters, who have had to contend with a pair of scorching heat waves in the past few weeks. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said that last month was “the warmest August on record in California.”

With fires raging throughout the West Coast, the skies over California have taken an apocalyptic turn — choking the air with ash and smoke in some regions, while snuffing out sunlight in others. Rarely have so many Californians breathed such unhealthy air.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is warning that smoke and ash are likely to hit much of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties Thursday due to the two major fires locally and smoke flowing in from Northern California blazes.

The air district’s smoke advisory said that most of the Southern California region will be affected by smoke, with the highest readings of fine-particle pollution, tiny lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5, in areas closest to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires.

Smoke blowing in from Northern California “may also contribute to widespread elevated PM2.5 concentrations,” the air district said, but due to shifting winds, the smoke impacts “will be highly variable in both space and time.”

The air district said to expect “noticeable smoke and ash impacts” in southwest Los Angeles County, Orange County and southwest Riverside County.

1/23

Brooks Hubbard with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes photos from the historic North Broadway Bridge over the Los Angeles River Tuesday morning as smoke and ash from the Bobcat fire cloak the area. 

(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

2/23

Elijah Simpson practices shooting hoops against a backdrop of smokey skies from the Bobcat Fire at Angel’s Gate Park in the San Pedro on September 16, 2020.  

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

3/23

A helicopter fights the Bobcat fire burning dangerously close to Mt. Wilson Observatory. 

(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

4/23

An aerial view of Dodger Stadium and the downtown Los Angeles skyline at sunset is obscured by smoke, ash and smog on Sept. 14. 

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

5/23

Visitors check their photos at Griffith Observatory with a smoky view of the Hollywood sign behind them. 

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

6/23

Two people get ready to surf as a hazy red sun sets off Hermosa Beach. 

(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

7/23

Smoke from the Bobcat fire burning in the Angeles National Forest blankets the Southland. 

(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

8/23

An airplane flies through smoky skies in downtown Los Angeles. 

(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

9/23

A smoky haze envelopes Santa Monica Beach.  

(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

10/23

Beachgoers walk along the shoreline in Laguna Beach beneath a hazy sky. 

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

11/23

A crow on a cypress tree in Garden Grove is silhouetted by a sun obscured by ash from Southland wildfires. 

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

12/23

The sky is gray over the Santa Monica Pier as a family plays in the breakwater.  

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

13/23

A man walks his dog past the historic lifeguard tower in Laguna Beach as the sun is obscured by smoke from wildfires. 

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

14/23

An upbeat message on the South Coast Cinemas marquee in Laguna Beach is dimmed by the smoky air. 

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

15/23

Surfers near the Manhattan Beach Pier under a smoky sunset. 

(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

16/23

Gray skies over the Santa Monica Pier.  

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

17/23

A hazy sun is seen behind the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove. 

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

18/23

Despite the unhealthful air quality, Fabian Ortez of Riverside enjoys an afternoon of fishing off the pier in Seal Beach. 

(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

19/23

The Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove. 

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

20/23

A bicyclist travels along the 1st Street Bridge as smoke hovers east of downtown Los Angeles. 

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

21/23

Haze from the Bobcat fire looms over Azusa as it burns in Angeles National Forest. 

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

22/23

The Los Angeles skyline is shrouded in smoke from the Bobcat fire as seen from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. 

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

23/23

Haze from the Bobcat fire looms over Kare Park in Irwindale. 

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The bad air is being generated by fires raging in California, Oregon and Washington that are lofting smoke into the air in a massive plume that is blanketing the entire West Coast and extends far out into the Pacific.

But in Southern California much of that smoke has remained aloft. At the ground level, air quality remained in the “good” to “moderate” range Thursday morning across most of the region, except for areas near the Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Azusa and Glendora, and the El Dorado fire in the San Bernardino Mountains near Yucaipa, where readings showed air quality in the “unhealthy” range.

Air quality has been significantly worse in Northern California, where raging fires this week have choked the air with smoke and ash and snuffed out the sunlight, casting a gloomy, orange pall over San Francisco and other areas. Air monitoring data Thursday morning showed unhealthy pollution levels in most of San Francisco and in other parts of the Bay Area.

Times staff writers Anita Chabria, Matthew Ormseth and Joe Mozingo contributed to this report.

The post Dying toll rises as California wildfires proceed to burn appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Dramatic aerial images captured the massive destruction wrought by wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington which have killed at least seven people including a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother. 

Ninety major fires across 13 western states have already burned more than 3.4 million acres – the size of Connecticut – and are still spreading in high winds amid fears that the number of casualties will rise. 

‘This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in our state’s history,’ Oregon Gov Kate Brown told a press conference. 

Entire communities have been razed with five towns ‘substantially destroyed’ and widespread evacuations taking place under apocalyptic orange skies. 

Only ‘smoldering ruins’ remained of large parts of the town of Talent, Oregon, said local resident Sandra Spelliscy. 

‘There are numerous neighborhoods where there are no structures left standing… dozens of homes [gone] and literally nothing except the skeletons of a chimney or an appliance,’ she said. 

Twelve-year-old Wyatt Tofte and his grandmother Peggy Mosso died in a blaze in the Santiam Valley community of Lyons, about 50 miles south of Portland. The boy’s mother is currently in hospital in critical condition after suffering serious burns.

The fire also was suspected of causing at least one death outside of Ashland, Oregon, while in Washington state a one-year-old boy named Uriel was killed and his parents Jake and Jamie Hyland were severely burned fleeing a fire in Okanogan County, police said.

Another three were feared dead in the California Bear Fire that swept through Butte County on Tuesday night.

MEDFORD, OREGON: Northridge Terrace is seen left in September 2019 and right after it was razed by this week’s West Coast wildfires which have ravaged communities and brought apocalyptic orange skies 

The map above shows 103 fires that have already burned more than 3.4 million acres across the western United States

TALENT, OREGON: Mountain View Estates in September 2019 (left) and September 2020 (right) after the massive wildfires. Only ‘smoldering ruins’ remained of large parts of the town of Talent, local resident Sandra Spelliscy said 

MEDFORD, OREGON: These satellite images show the destruction in western Oregon where officials fear more deaths

PHOENIX, OREGON: A close-up of the city of 4,500 people which has been devastated by the Alameda Fire 

TALENT, OREGON: The Rogue Valley Highway 99 in June 2018 (left) and on Wednesday this week (right) 

OREGON COAST: A satellite image of the state’s Pacific coast in December 2016 (left) and September 2020 (right) 

PHOENIX, OREGON: This infrared satellite image shows an overview of the destruction, with burned vegetation and property in black and grey, and healthy vegetation that has not been burned in red 

Wyatt Tofte, 12, (far left) and his grandmother Peggy Mosso (in the right-hand picture, left in dark blue) died in a wildfire burning near the Santiam Valley community of Lyons, about 50 miles south of Portland. The boy’s mother is currently in hospital in critical condition

Jake and Jamie Hyland were severely burned and their one-year-old son Uriel was killed as the family fled from a wildfire in Okanogan County, Washington, on Sunday night

Dramatic: The San Francisco Bay Bridge and the city skyline are bathed in apocalyptic orange as smoke and haze blows over the city, as seen from the artificial Treasure Island 

Butte county firefighters watch as flames tower over their truck during the Bear fire in Oroville, California on September 9

Security officials survey the Bear Lakes Estates neighborhood which was left devastated by the Almeda fire in Phoenix, Oregon

Houses and vehicles in the Bear Lakes Estates neighborhood which were left devastated by the Almeda fire 

Interstate 5 is seen in the background in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Phoenix, Oregon. The road appeared to serve as a divider as nothing on the opposite side of the road was harmed by the fire

Homes were essentially wiped from the map as the fire took hold and laid claim to everything in its path, blown by the wind

Interstate 5 is seen on the left as the Bear Lakes Estates neighborhood is left devastated

A satellite image shows wildfires near Colton, Oregon on Wednesday as the scores of wildfires continued to rage 

One-year-old boy is killed and his parents are severely burned as they fled Washington wildfire

Jake and Jamie Hyland and their infant son Uriel were evacuating their property in rural Okanogan at around midnight on Sunday when they got trapped by the Cold Springs Fire. 

The family’s scorched truck was found abandoned on Tuesday afternoon, before search teams discovered Jake and Jamie, who is pregnant, gravely injured on the banks of the Columbia River. Baby Uri was already dead. 

The parents were transported to Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster before being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. 

Jamie, 26, suffered burns covering 40 to 50 percent of her body and underwent surgery on her arms, a relative wrote on a GoFundMe page.  

Jake, 31, was burned on 25 percent of his body and was preparing for surgery on his arms as well.    

‘They are both still critical at this point, but Jamie is more so than Jake,’ the relative wrote.   

The Hyland family, who live outside Portland in Renton, had been visiting their house in Okanogan for Labor Day weekend. 

The relative said the remote property doesn’t have cell service, so it’s possible the family didn’t receive alerts about the fire blazing toward them until it was too late to evacuate safely.  

The Cold Springs Fire erupted near Omak on Sunday night and has already torched more than 163,000 acres. It was 10 percent contained as of Wednesday night. 

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley said Uri’s death will be treated as a homicide if it turns out to be an arson.  

Hawley praised the efforts of firefighters battling blazes around his community but expressed frustration with a lack of resources. 

He attributed aid delays to the fact that dozens of wildfires are currently burning across the state of Washington and around the western US. 

‘We’re competing for resources just like everyone across the nation,’ he said.  

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told the Sacramento Bee confirmed that three people have died. Their identities have not yet been released. 

The remains of three victims were found in two separate locations of the same fire, Honea said, bringing the total death toll from this summer’s devastating spate of California wildfires to at least 11. 

Hornea said at least 12 people remain missing in Butte County as the Bear Fire rages on. 

In Oregon, one victim was found close to where the Almeda Fire began near homes in Medford on Tuesday. 

Firefighters retreated from uncontrollable blazes in Oregon as officials gave residents ‘go now’ orders to evacuate, meaning they had only minutes to leave their homes.

‘It was like driving through hell,’ Jody Evans told local television station NewsChannel21 after a midnight evacuation from Detroit, about 50 miles west of Salem. 

In Okanogan County, Washington, the Hyland family got trapped by the Cold Springs Fire as they evacuated their property near Omak on Sunday night.  

The family’s scorched truck was found abandoned on the side of a road on Tuesday afternoon, before search and rescue teams discovered dad Jake and mom Jamie, who is pregnant, gravely injured on the banks of the Columbia River. Their one-year-old son Uri was already dead.

Jamie, 26, suffered burns covering 40 to 50 percent of her body and underwent surgery on her arms, a relative wrote in on a GoFundMe page.  

Jake, 31, was burned on 25 percent of his body and was preparing for surgery on his arms as well.  

Leanna Mikesler, from Clovis, California, said she had been forced to evacuate her home to escape wildfires before, but it was ’10 times harder’ during the coronavirus pandemic.

‘They call… the evacuation. And then you go from there to see if your house has been burned down,’ she said. 

Across the United States wildfires have burned nearly 4.7 million acres in 2020, the highest year-to-date area since 2018, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Most of the fires are in western states, where 17 new large blazes were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total to 90 that have burned more than 3.4 million acres – an area nearly the size of Connecticut.

Over a century of efforts by federal and state agencies to suppress naturally occurring blazes have left forests replete with dry timber and brush that provides fuel for large wildfires.

Home construction has encroached on some forests in recent decades, and owners are watching their houses burn as firefighters are unable to save property. 

Half-dozen fire experts who spoke to AP agreed that more extreme fire behavior in recent years has been driven by drought and warming temperatures they attribute to climate change. Among the most concerning developments is that fast-moving wildfires leave less time for warnings or evacuations.

Recently ‘we have seen multiple fires expand by tens of thousands of acres in a matter of hours, and 30 years or more ago that just wasn’t fire behavior that we saw,’ said Jacob Bendix, a professor of geography and the environment at Syracuse University who studies wildfires. 

Hotter temperatures, longer fire seasons and an estimated 140 million dead trees from a five-year drought mean that ‘fires in California are moving faster and growing larger’, said University of Utah fire expert Philip Dennison.

Mike Flannigan, who directs the Western Partnership for Wildland Fire Science at Canada’s University of Alberta, remembers the first report of a fire-created thunderstorm in 1986.

‘They were rare events, and now they’ve become commonplace,’ he said. ‘It’s because these fires are higher intensity.’

An orange glow fills the sky above the Embarcadero as smoke from various wildfires burning across Northern California mixes with the marine layer, blanketing San Francisco in darkness, on September 9, 2020 in San Francisco, California

San Francisco skyline is seen from Dolores Park in San Francisco, California on September 9. More than 300,000 acres are burning across the northwestern state including 35 major wildfires, with at least five towns ‘substantially destroyed’ and mass evacuations taking place

The Bobcat fire rages above Rincon Fire Station on Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains, California

A view of the San Francisco Bay Bridge under an orange sky in the afternoon in San Francisco, California. The blazes across the states have made major metropolitan areas look apocalyptic 

An orange sky filled with wildfire smoke hangs above hiking trails at the Limeridge Open Space in Concord, California

A singed ice machine sits over a burned store during the Bear Fire, part of the North Lightning Complex fires, in unincorporated Butte County, California on Wednesday

Brown smoke from wildfires blowing westward in the atmosphere from California’s Sierra Nevada to the Coast Ranges and from Oregon can be seen on Wednesday

A prime example is the so-called Creek Fire in Sierra National Forest near Yosemite National Park, which exploded through miles of drought- and beetle-killed timber, moving so fast that it trapped hundreds of campers.

‘When you have a fire run 15 miles in one day, in one afternoon, there’s no model that can predict that,’ US Forest Service forester Steve Lohr said. ‘The fires are behaving in such a way that we’ve not seen.’

Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for California’s state fire authority, said of the Creek Fire: ‘You add the winds, the dry conditions, the hot temperatures, it’s the perfect recipe. This fire is just burning at an explosive rate.’

The phenomenon isn’t restricted to California. Doug Grafe, chief of Fire Protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry, said it was unprecedented in his state for fires this week to spread from the crest of the Cascade Mountains into the valleys below, and so quickly, ‘carrying tens of miles in one period of an afternoon and not slowing down in the evening – (there is) absolutely no context for that in this environment’. 

Winds of up to 50 miles per hour sent blazes racing tens of miles within hours, burning hundreds of homes as firefighters fought at least 35 major blazes across an area of Oregon nearly twice the size of New York City. 

Parts of Medford, Oregon, a popular retirement location with over 80,000 residents in the state’s scenic Rogue Valley, were under evacuation orders or warnings as a growing wildfire closed a section of Interstate 5, the primary north-south highway in the West.

The fire moved north to Medford from Ashland, where it started on Tuesday. The blaze did little damage to Ashland, home to the historic stages of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which normally draws more than 350,000 theatergoers a year.

The Holiday Farm fire is seen burning in the mountains around McKenzie Bridge, Oregon on September 9, 2020

Three chairs are all that remain at the Gates Post office in Gates, Oregon on Wednesday. The post office was destroyed along with several other buildings in the Santiam Canyon community as a result of the Santiam Fire

Charred debris is seen after the Bear Fire burned through Berry Creek, California

A swing and a burned-out vehicle are seen after the Bear Fire tore through Berry Creek, California

A scorched car rests in a clearing following the Bear Fire in Butte County. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region

Charred items are seen after the Bear Fire burned through Berry Creek, California

A plume rises from the Bear Fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County, California

Appliances are seen scattered over the ground after the Bear Fire burned through Berry Creek including an old metal oven

Hundreds of horses have been brought to the fairgrounds in Salem by people fleeing the fires, along with llamas, goats and other animals. The Red Cross is helping people at the fairgrounds, which has been turned into an evacuation center

But as the blaze moved northward, it heavily damaged the small town of Talent with about 6,000 residents and Phoenix, with around 5,000, according to local police..  

Medford, with over 80,000 residents, was under evacuation orders or warnings as a growing wildfire closed a section of Interstate 5, the primary north-south highway in the West. 

The fire is suspected so far to have caused one death north of Ashland, said Rich Tyler, spokesman for the Oregon State Fire Marshal.

Brown saw no respite to the hot, windy weather and requested a federal emergency declaration for the state.

‘Absolutely no area in the state is free from fire,’ said Doug Graf, chief of fire protection for the Oregon Department of Forestry. 

The Oregon town of Mill City, about 65 miles south of Portland with a population around 1,900, also had major damage, and Malden, with about 200 people in eastern Washington state, was destroyed on Monday.

In central California, the Creek Fire about 35 miles  north of Fresno tore through a forest killed by drought and bark beetles as military helicopters pulled campers, hikers and residents out of the area.

Robert Pylant, 65, locates his fire safe in the rubble of his mobile home, early Wednesday in Gates, Oregon. All the trailers in Oak Park Trailer Park were destroyed along with the majority of the homes along East Sorbin Avenue

Hundreds of homes including entire communities were razed by wildfires in the western United States on September 9 as officials warned of potential mass deaths under apocalyptic orange skies

At least five towns were ‘substantially destroyed’ in Oregon as widespread evacuations took place across the northwestern state, governor Kate Brown said

Oregon Governor Kate Brown called the extreme heat and wind a ‘once in a lifetime event,’ as climate scientists blamed human activities for higher average temperatures that have supercharged fires.

‘This is proving to be an unprecedented and significant fire event for our state,’ Brown told a press briefing.  

‘This could be the greatest loss in human lives and property due to wildfire in our state´s history,’ Brown said, without providing details. 

Officials said 64,000 people had been evacuated from their homes as 28 major fires raged across the most populated US state. 

Evacuations were ordered for a broad area around a massive 200,000-acre wildfire burning north of Sacramento. Residents of more than a dozen towns including the city of Oroville were either told to evacuate immediately or be prepared to go. 

The fire raged perilously close to the town of Paradise, which was burned to the ground in 2018 by a wildfire, killing 85 people. 

Climate scientists blame global warming for extreme wet and dry seasons in the West that have caused grasses and scrub to flourish then dry out, leaving abundant fuel for fires.

In California, all 18 national forests were closed due to ‘unprecedented and historic fire conditions’.

To the south, the Creek Fire, about 35 miles north of Fresno, tore through the Sierra National Forest, which was susceptible due to drought and bark beetle damage, destroying over 360 homes and structures. 

President Barack Obama tweeted his concern over the dangers of climate change and urged voters to vote 

People gather at Alamo Square under an orange and yellow overcast sky overlooking the The Painted Ladies

A view of Cupid’s Span, a sculpture by Claes Oldenburge and Coosje van Bruggen, in the foreground and the Ferry Building Clock Tower in the background under an orange overcast sky in the afternoon in San Francisco

Traffic lights and car lights illuminate California Street during an orange overcast sky over the financial district in the afternoon in San Francisco. California wildfire smoke high in the atmosphere over the San Francisco Bay Area blocked the sunlight and turned the sky a dark orange and yellow shade for most of the day

Under darkened skies from wildfire smoke, a sailboat makes its way past the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and lights at Oracle Park Wednesday,

On Wednesday morning, people in San Francisco and elsewhere in California woke to a deep orange sky that triggered apocalyptic visions in a year already rife with disturbing events.

Skies so dark at times that it appeared more night than day were accompanied in some places with ash falling like snow, the cause being massive wild fires filling the air with smoke and cinders.

‘The orange skies this morning are a result of wildfire smoke in the air,’ San Francisco Bay air quality officials said in a tweet.

‘These smoke particles scatter blue light and only allow yellow-orange-red light to reach the surface, causing skies to look orange.’

As smoke gets thick in some areas, it blocks sunlight causing dark skies, the officials explained.

Photos of the eerie scene, particularly of a San Francisco skyline fit for a dystopian science fiction film, spread quickly on social media.

‘Is there a word for ‘the apocalypse is upon us burnt sienna?’ read one tweet fired off by someone who felt using the word ‘orange’ to describe the sky was being too kind.

Others likened the scenes to planets other than Earth.

People from San Francisco to Seattle woke Wednesday to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West

Looking down Lombard Street, Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill at right and the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, are darkened by wildfire smoke

Under darkened skies from wildfire smoke, a waiter carries a tray of Irish Coffee to people having lunch at the Buena Vista Cafe Wednesday in San Francisco. The photo was taken just after midday 

Lunchtime on Wednesday in San Francisco has an otherworldly glow about it thanks to the smoke from the states wildfires 

The sky was turned orange as hazy clouds of smoke lingered in the air all day long which saw the street lights remain on

California wildfire smoke high in the atmosphere over the San Francisco Bay Area blocked the sunlight and turned the sky a dark orange and yellow shade for most of the day on Wednesday

‘If literal fire skies don’t wake us up to climate change, then nothing will,’ tweeted YouTube influencer and Zadiko tea startup chief Zack Kornfeld.

‘Enjoy joking about how crazy this year is because we made this mess and it’s only going to get worse.’

Dark skies blocking the sun chilled temperatures at what has historically been the warmest time year in San Francisco.

‘Geo-color imagery shows a very thick multilevel smoke deck over much of California,’ the US National Weather Service said in a tweet.

‘This smoke is filtering the incoming energy from the sun, causing much cooler temperatures and dark dreary red-shifted skies across many areas.’ 

An orange sky in the early afternoon as seen from King Street in San Francisco

People sit at Alamo Square under an orange and yellow overcast sky overlooking the The Painted Ladies, the iconic row of historical Victorian homes with a downtown backdrop

An orange sky at Alamo Square Park in the afternoon in San Francisco, California

An orange sky in the early afternoon with the San Francisco Bay Bridge in the background as seen from King Street in San Francisco

Traffic lights and car lights illuminate an intersection under an orange overcast sky in the afternoon in San Francisco

Smoke hangs over the San Francisco skyline on Wednesday as dozens of wildfires rage across California

A satellite image shows smoke from dozens of wildfires in California and Oregon billowing over the Pacific Ocean

Two of California’s largest wildfires are located just outside of San Francisco, which is seen covered in smoke on Wednesday

A frightening red haze has been cast over towns in Oregon as 35 wildfires rage around the state

Several Oregon residents shared photos of red-stained skies on social media. The photo above was taken in the middle of the day in Salem  

Similar red skies are seen in Northern California as the Creek Fire continues its path through Fresno County outside Yosemite

Smoke from California wildfires obscures the sky over Oracle Park as the Seattle Mariners take batting practice before their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday in San Francisco

Golfers warm up on the driving range during the preview day of the Safeway Open in Napa, California, on Wednesday

A man walks along the Redwood highway by the Pacific Ocean as smoke covers Orick, California, on Wednesday

A woman crosses a street as smoke from wildfires covers an area near Eureka, California, on Thursday

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday night declared a state of emergency as his hard-hit state struggled to beat back the blazes.

The Labor Day weekend heat wave fueled new fires that pushed the state to set a new record for number of acres burned with 2,178,015 as of Tuesday night.  

The previous record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest fire in state history, the Camp Fire, which ripped through the town of Paradise and killed 85 people in November 2018.  

Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said the new record was especially alarming because of how early in the year it was set. 

‘It’s a little unnerving because September and October are historically our worst months for fires,’ Tolmachoff told AP. ‘It’s usually hot, and the fuels really dry out. And we see more of our wind events.’ 

Compared to last year, California has seen over 2,650 more fires and a nearly 2000 percent increase in the acres burned year-to-date (January 1 – September 7), across all jurisdictions, Cal Fire said. 

The state has seen 900 wildfires since August 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes in mid-August. There have been eight fire deaths and more than 4,300 structures destroyed as of Wednesday. 

Randy Moore, regional forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region, warned that the blazes are expected to worsen in the coming days.  

‘The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously,’ Moore told AP. ‘Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire.’   

Law enforcement officers watch flames into the air as the Bear Fire continues to spread in Oroville, California, on Wednesday

A Butte County firefighter douses flames at the Bear Fire in Oroville, California, early Wednesday morning

Butte County firefighters watch as flames tower over their truck at the Bear Fire in Oroville, California, on Wednesday 

An orange glow hangs over Yosemite as the Creek Fire draws near, threatening evacuations 

Oregon family runs out of gas while fleeing fast-spreading wildfires during camping trip 

An Oregon family’s camping trip took a terrifying turn when their car ran out of gas as they fled from a raging wildfire.  

Allison Hargett, her husband Tyler and their six-year-old daughter Lilly drove up to Detroit Lake State Park on Labor Day to go boating. 

Hours after they settled in for the night, the family was awoken by evacuation orders at about 1am on Tuesday as the Beachie Creek Fire encroached on their campgrounds. 

The Hargett family quickly hitched up their boat and packed up their car to drive to safety, following behind their friends, Tim and Adamma Dye.  

As they made the trek out of the evacuation zone, Allison filmed several videos from the car which showed the forest enveloped by an eerie orange glow as flames consumed dozens of trees and embers cascaded from the sky.   

The family made it about 20 miles before their car ran out of gas outside Mill City, trapping them in the Marion County evacuation zone. 

Thankfully, they weren’t alone on the road. 

‘[Our friends] were in front of us and saw that we pulled over and turned around, tossed their stuff in the back seat and told us to get in and let’s go,’ Allison told CNN on Tuesday.   

Despite being forced to leave behind their boat, car and much of their gear to fit into their friends’ vehicle, Allison said her family was grateful to have made it to safety.  

‘We completely ran out of gas and would’ve been stranded. They saved us,’ she said.  

On Tuesday night, Cal Fire said that the Creek Fire had worsened in the previous 24 hours owing to strong winds.

‘The fire continued to grow under extreme conditions,’ the agency said in an update. ‘The Red Flag Warning for strong winds will impact the fire in the early morning, with stronger winds to come. The fire made wind driven runs and increased spotting distance. 

‘Red Flag Warning in effect until 11 pm Tuesday for high temperatures, low humidity and high winds.’

The California National Guard (CNG) was called in over the weekend to rescue more than 400 hikers and campers who found themselves trapped in the mountains after roads were closed to the Creek Fire. 

More than 200 people were airlifted from Mammoth Lake over Saturday and Sunday – and another 148 were rescued from near Lake Edison and Chinese Peak early Tuesday morning, the CNG said.  

Officials said at least 65 more hikers could still be trapped in the Sierra National Forest as rescue efforts continue.    

One hiker had been confirmed dead from an apparent heart attack, and officials warned there may be multiple more casualties.   

In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and the forecast called for the arrival of the region’s notorious Santa Anas. The hot, dry winds could reach 50 mph at times, forecasters said.

People in a half-dozen foothill communities east of Los Angeles were being told to stay alert because of a fire in the Angeles National Forest.

‘The combination of gusty winds, very dry air, and dry vegetation will create critical fire danger,’ the National Weather Service warned.

The US Forest Service on Monday decided to close all eight national forests in the southern half of the state and shutter campgrounds statewide.

Firefighters have made headway with one blaze in the area – the El Dorado Fire – which was sparked on Saturday by a gender reveal photoshoot, when a pyrotechnical smoke device sent sparks into the bone-dry brush.

The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 12,474 acres as of Tuesday night and is 18 percent contained. 

Officials said the family behind the gender reveal debacle could face civil or criminal charges for the fire. 

The threat of winds tearing down power lines or hurling debris into them and sparking a wildfire prompted Pacific Gas & Electric, the state’s largest utility, to shut off power to 172,000 customers over the weekend.  

In Washington state, the town of Malden was almost entirely destroyed.

Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said that 70-80 percent of homes in the town of 300 people have gone up in flames.

Local news network KREM showed pictured of the charred Malden post office, a fire still burning inside the gutted building.  

The fire station, city hall and other buildings were also consumed, Myers said.

‘The scale of this disaster really can’t be expressed in words,’ he said. ‘The fire will be extinguished, but a community has been changed for a lifetime. I just hope we don’t find the fire took more than homes and buildings. I pray everyone got out in time.’

Larry Frick, who lives in Malden, told KXLY that he spent three hours to save his house amid the flames.

‘It’s gone, brother,’ he texted his sibling after the fire swept through. ‘The entire town is gone. Everything from here to Pine City is gone. The scariest time of my life.’ 

KREM said that at least nine wildfires were burning throughout the Inland Northwest on Monday, amid dry and windy conditions.

Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz tweeted on Monday evening that, ‘Today alone, almost 300,000 acres in Washington have burned.’

‘Thousands of homes are without power. Many families have had to evacuate their homes and many homes have been lost,’ Franz wrote. ‘We’re still seeing new fire starts in every corner of the state.’

Governor Jay Inslee noted that more acres burned on Monday than in 12 of the last fire seasons in the state.  

‘We think all of these are human-caused in some dimension,’ Inslee said.

Allison Hargett, her husband Tyler and their six-year-old daughter Lilly had driven up to the lake on Labor Day to go boating when they were suddenly awoken by an evacuation order at about 1am Tuesday as the Beachie Creek Fire encroached on their campsite.  

The Hargett family quickly hitched up their boat and packed up their car to drive to safety, following behind their friends, Tim and Adamma Dye.  

As they made the trek out of the evacuation zone, Allison filmed several videos from the car which showed the forest enveloped by an eerie orange glow as flames consumed dozens of trees and embers cascaded from the sky.  

Allison Hargett, her husband Tyler and their six-year-old daughter Lilly (pictured together) were camping at Detroit Lake State Park when wildfire forced them to evacuate on Tuesday

The family made it about 20 miles before their car ran out of gas outside Mill City, trapping them in the Marion County evacuation zone. Thankfully, they weren’t alone on the road. 

‘[Our friends] were in front of us and saw that we pulled over and turned around, tossed their stuff in the back seat and told us to get in and let’s go,’ Allison told CNN on Tuesday.   

Despite being forced to leave behind their boat, car and much of their gear to fit into their friends’ vehicle, Allison said her family was grateful to have made it to safety.  

‘We completely ran out of gas and would’ve been stranded. They saved us,’ she said.  

The Beachie Creek Fire ignited on August 16 and has since torched more than 130,000 acres, according to local officials. It remains zero percent contained and is traveling at a rate of three acres per hour. 

High winds, dry conditions and a heatwave in the drought-stricken region helped fuel the fire over the weekend, prompting evacuations for several cities in Marion County, which includes Detroit Lake State Park.   

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office released video of multiple structures on fire in Mill City on Wednesday night, hours after the Hargett family and their friends left the area. 

Neighboring Clackamas County declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as four active fires – including Beachie Creek – put several communities under threat. 

As her family fled from the Beachie Creek Fire early Tuesday, Allison Hargett filmed several videos from the car which showed the forest enveloped by an eerie orange glow as flames consumed dozens of trees and embers cascaded from the sky

The post Three useless in California bear fireplace and two in Oregon as greater than 200 main fires proceed to burn appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.