Were this week s Bay Area wildfires spawned by last summer s monster CZU fire?
FacebookTwitterEmail 3
1of3BOULDER CREEK, CA - AUGUST 22: Smoke hangs low in the air at Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods are still on fire, like this one that fell across the road on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020 in Boulder Creek, CA. The CZU August Lightning complex fires tore through Big Basin Redwoods State Park, decimating the 118-year-old state park Californias oldest. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagShow MoreShow Less
2of3BOULDER CREEK, CA - AUGUST 22: Smoke hangs low in the air at Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods are still on fire on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020 in Boulder Creek, CA. The CZU August Lightning complex fires tore through Big Basin Redwoods State Park, decimating the 118-year-old state park Californias oldest. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Kent Nishimura / Lo
7 fires now burning in Santa Cruz, San Mateo counties
FacebookTwitterEmail
A wildfire burns in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Jan 19, 2021. According to CZU Calfire, one fire is off Freedom Boulevard in Watsonville and one is in the Boulder Creek area off of Highway 9.PG&E Webcam
LATEST Jan. 20, 10:45 a.m. Cal Fire said it hopes to have seven small wildfires burning in northern Santa Cruz and southern San Mateo counties contained by the end of the day Wednesday amid favorable weather conditions. That s contained, not controlled, Cal Fire spokesperson Cecile Juliette said. We hope to have all of them controlled by this weekend. Contained is when they re able to get a fire line around the entire fire, so they can keep it within a certain area. Controlled is when they have the line around the fire and all the hot spots within the perimeter are out.
(AP Photo/Noah Berger)
(CN) California has experienced some of its worst fire seasons in recorded history the past few years, but one source of solace is that by January residents can finally relax until mid-summer.
Not so this January, as four fires in Santa Cruz County sparked by high winds prompted evacuations Tuesday while PG&E enacted another round of preemptive power shutoffs in select areas of the state.
Cal Fire crews also responded to a fire in San Mateo County on Tuesday afternoon that had grown to 10 acres with zero containment.
The Freedom Fire broke out just north of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, driven by extremely high winds and scorching about five to six acres of timber. The area was spared during the CZU Lightning Complex fires, a massive wildfire caused by a late-August lighting storm that burned in the Santa Cruz Mountains spanning Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.
The Globe and Mail Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
Getting audio file . This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. Full Disclaimer
Steve Henry
For much of its long life, the giant Candelabra Tree was a hidden gem.
The unusual redwood, with its five vertical branches towering above a squat base to resemble a candelabra, is tucked into a remote part of Butano State Park.
Butano itself is among the lesser-visited state parks on the California coast south of San Francisco.
UPDATED: 2:25 p.m. History has shown that the best bet against a flood is moving out before the rains fall. Residents can monitor potentially disastrous rainfall through a host of devices and alert systems â some old and some new.
One device in particular is getting renewed attention for its longstanding but reliable technology.
Emergency preparedness experts at a Coastside Community Emergency Response Team training recently touted a radio that can tune into a network of National Weather Service radio transmitters that continuously stream regional weather information. These gadgets, called NOAA weather radios, have made a comeback after emergencies in recent years proved that cellular-based systems are prone to failure in areas with poor reception.