Winds topple trees, power lines, sparking fires near Santa Cruz By J.D. Morris and Vanessa Arredondo
A spate of small but unusual winter wildfires started amid extreme winds around Northern California on Tuesday as the region grappled with a winter that has been sorely lacking in substantial rain and snow.
Around the Santa Cruz Mountains, evacuations were ordered as officials responded to at least five fires that ignited during dry and windy conditions. Many more blazes were reported around the Central Coast, the Bay Area and farther north throughout the morning, some of which were quickly contained, officials said.
California Grizzly Bears Are Extinct But Some Want To Reintroduce Their ‘Cousins’ To Sierra A stuffed grizzly bear from Canada a DNA cousin of the extinct California Grizzly Bear is on display at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum.
Imagine a creature pushing 1,000 pounds, almost 10 feet high on their hind legs, and about as finicky eaters as a house rat or a domestic pig rambling across the Altamont Pass.
This is not a sci-fi animal but one that roamed the Northern San Joaquin Valley, the Diablo Range, and much of California for centuries up until 170 years ago or so.
They were the California Grizzly Bears.
Powerful winds topple trees and power lines, sparking fires and prompting evacuations near Santa Cruz
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A PG&E lineman analyzes a tree tangled in power lines after falling during high winds in Oakland.Jessica Christian / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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A downed tree hit a parked car along Moultrie Street between Eugenia Avenue and Cortland Avenue in San Francisco.Santiago Mejia / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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Pedestrians walk past a car that was pinned by a fallen tree near Snow Park in downtown Oakland, Calif. Tuesday, January 19, 2021 following a night and early morning of extreme winds across the Bay Area and beyond, causing multiple incidents of downed trees, power lines and other damage.Jessica Christian / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Updated on January 19, 2021 at 1:45 am
Alameda County Fire Department
Several fire crews are battling a fire at the Altamont Landfill on Altamont Pass Road in Alameda County Monday night.
About one acre of mulch and debris are “smoldering or on fire,” firefighters said.
ACFD crews E08, E318, E320, Dozer17 & BC03, @LPFDFirefighter & @calfireSCU are providing a full vegetation response on Altamont Pass Road in unic. Livermore. Approx. 1 acre of mulch and debris are smoldering or on fire. #ALCOFIRE@alcofirefighterpic.twitter.com/jjA3HEmjwR Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) January 19, 2021
No additional information was immediately available.
Weather Forecast
A spate of small but unusual winter wildfires started amid extreme winds around Northern California on Tuesday as the region grappled with a winter that has been sorely lacking in substantial rain and snow. Around the Santa Cruz Mountains, evacuations were ordered as officials responded to at least five fires that ignited during dry and windy conditions. Many more blazes were reported around the Central Coast, the Bay Area and farther north.