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Wales Online
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
Frightening new wildfires hit California
Frightening new wildfires hit California The largest fire reportedly threatened 'over 4,200 buildings in the area' A firefighter pulls a hose line along Highway 243, also known as the Esperanza Firefighters Memorial Highway, near Banning during the Wolf Fire on Monday, June 30 (Image: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG via Getty ) Wildfire season has started in California with worrying speed as more than a dozen fires broke out over the weekend. The largest fires are burning in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to local authorities. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the biggest of these is the Wolf fire which began on Sunday near Banning in Riverside County. It quickly spread to cover over 2,400 acres and led to evacuations and road closures. By Tuesday morning, the fire was 35% contained. More than 900 firefighters have been tackling the flames and three of them have been injured according to California's fire department, Cal Fire. The fire started near Old Idyllwild Road and Wolfskill Truck Trail, threatening "over 4,200 buildings in the area", reports say. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Evacuation orders were still in place on Monday for parts of Banning and Cabazon, south of the Interstate 10. A shelter for people forced to leave their homes has been set up at Hemet High School, and animals can be taken to a site in nearby San Jacinto. Officials have also warned that these fires could be a sign of what's to come this summer and autumn as after a dry winter and spring, California is heading into what could be a hot and dangerous few months. Article continues below Wildfires have become more common and more severe in California over the past few years including the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. The Axios article "San Diego is seeing more weather that fuels wildfires" explains this, and why fires are harder to control due to climate change. There are now more days each year with hot, dry and windy conditions which is the kind of weather that helps fires spread according to findings. Experts say rising temperatures are drying out plants and trees, making fires more likely and more dangerous and likely to spread quickly. In 2020, California saw a record-breaking year with more than four million acres of land burned. It can often be difficult to draw direct conclusions about climate change as fires are happening, but even here in Wales we have been told that a hotter climate is likely affecting the severity of fires seen here. You can read more about the situation in Wales, here. Article continues below With summer just beginning, California's fire crews and communities may be in for another very challenging season. The 'Ready, Set, Go!' programme is designed to walk residents and people visiting the area through the steps to take to ensure you are prepared in the case of an approaching wildfire in California. You can find out more about advice to people in the area via the Los Angeles Fire Department's website here.
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
7 newbie tips to the L.A. County Fair
I'm not much of a fair guy — I never win at carnival games, I get dizzy as a passenger in a car, and fair food is as overrated as In-N-Out. But last week, I attended the Los Angeles County Fair for the first time ever because why not? Besides, if Miguel Santana can be a Fairhead, so can I. He's one of the most influential people in Southern California: longtime confidante of the late Gloria Molina, former chief administrative officer for Los Angeles and current president of the California Community Foundation. But I think he had the most fun as head of the L.A. County Fair from 2017 to 2020, a stint immortalized by his appearance on the cover of the 2022 book '100 Years of the Los Angeles County Fair' riding a gondola lift alongside the book's author, legendary Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist David Allen. 'Who's there says a lot about us as Southern California,' Santana said of the L.A. County Fair's audience as I exited the 10 Freeway toward the Fairplex. 'It's a sense of Americana and proof we can be diverse and American at the same time.' I asked if this fair was as big as the Orange County Fair. He laughed the way all Angelenos do when presented with a comparison to Orange County. 'It's enormous. You're gonna get your 10,000 steps.' Behold, then, this newbie's L.A. County Fair tips: Fair parking is an ungodly $22.50, and don't you dare try to leave your jalopy at nearby Ganesha Park unless you want to spend a couple hundred dollars fishing it out of some random tow truck yard. My Pomona parking hookup was faithful reader Fernando Iniguez — gracias, Fern Iggy! I owe you a Jerez sweatshirt. $21.50 on the internet. At the gate? $32. Um, yeah. But one big complaint, Fair lords: It took me three attempts to buy my tickets online. Ever heard of Zelle? 'There's going to be so much music,' Santana told me, and he was right. Between live bands, Spotify playlists, DJs and radio stations, it was like walking through a wholesome Coachella. Bachata smoothly transitioned to Go Country went to KCRW became Taylor Swift switched over to a super-chirpy cover of the O'Jays' 'Love Train' at the Disco Chicken stand. And though Pharell Williams' 'Happy' played at least five times while I visited, the atmosphere was so cheerful that I didn't have to scream to drown out his ode to optimism. There's nothing like seeing suburbanites who probably think meat comes from Erewhon fairies stand with terror in their eyes as bleating sheep and goats swarm them asking for pellets. How much did fairgoers live in the moment? I saw next to no one use their smartphone other than for photos. And I also noticed a middle-age white guy in a MAGA cap standing a few feet away from a Muslim family with nary a negative look at each other. They were too busy staring ahead like the rest of us at an octet of magnificent Clydesdale horses ready to pull a Budweiser wagon. I loved all the vegetables and livestock at the Farm & Gardens, enjoyed the trippy art at the Flower & Garden Pavilion and appreciated the juxtaposition of a lowrider show next to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum near the Millard Sheets Art Center. But the best part of the fair was the area labeled 'America's Great Outdoors' — and I say this as someone who thinks camping and hiking are for the (literal) birds! Volunteers sawed logs with kids, taught them how to pan for gold, showed off desert reptiles and even hosted an environmental magic show. Throw in a replica of a Tongva hut and a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout tower and the nearby sound of the RailGiants Train Museum, and this is what Knott's Berry Farm used to be before it became whatever the hell it is now. I had to rush back to Orange County for a columna the day I visited, so I only spent an hour and a half at the fair. I had to skip the tablescape competition, didn't go through the exhibit halls and was only able to eat at Hot Dog on a Stick because they make the best lemonade on Earth. But it was wonderful to leave the problems of the world mostly at bay for a few hours to enjoy the living, breathing Wikipedia that is a county fair at its finest — and the L.A. County Fair is definitely that. Huge Snorlax plush toy: Next year, you're mine. Alan says: 'Your Man by Josh Turner.'C Price says: 'The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell.' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. Today's great photo is from Times photographer Robert Gauthier at Dodger Stadium where the 2-year-old son of Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts runs away with the ceremonial first pitch ball. Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
