California winds shifting as wildfire battles go on
Source: AP
By SAM METZ and JOHN ANTCZAK
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — California weather was heating up and winds were shifting Thursday as more than 14,000 firefighters battled wildfires up and down the state, including a major blaze they hoped to keep out of the Lake Tahoe resort region.
Onshore winds from the west and southwest were changing direction to offshore, blowing out of the north or northeast, and fire weather watches were to take effect in Northern California by the end of the week, the National Weather Service said.
The Caldor Fire, the nation’s top priority for firefighting resources, grew to more than 213 square miles (551 square kilometers) southwest of Lake Tahoe but containment remained at 12%, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Smoke stained the normally blue skies over the alpine lake but the pollution level Thursday morning was reduced to “unhealthy,” down two levels of severity from 24 hours earlier when it was “hazardous,” according to the U.S. Air Quality Index.
A DC-10 Air Tanker swoops in to make a retardant drop as it passes above firefighting ground crews on a ridge fighting the South Fire near Lytle Creek, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The South Fire about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, destroyed multiple homes, commercial and other structures. (Will Lester/The Orange County Register via AP)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/fires-environment-and-nature-california-wildfires-da6cde1f6444e12448432483109d2208
