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USA Today
21-07-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Cram Fire in Oregon, the nation's largest blaze in 2025, nears megafire status
The Cram Fire in central Oregon became the nation's largest wildfire this year as the blaze neared 100,000 acres on July 20, destroying four homes and threatening hundreds of structures, authorities said. The fire, which broke out on July 13, exploded in size over recent days after hot and dry conditions and gusty winds increased wildfire risks in parts of the state. Fire crews were challenged during the week by changing wind directions and rugged, steep terrain, but cooler temperatures and higher humidity levels over the weekend are expected to help firefighting efforts. By 9 a.m. local time on July 20, the fire had expanded to 95,748 acres and was 49% contained, according to the Central Oregon Fire Information. The size of the fire was "slightly reduced" from July 19 after "more accurate mapping" was completed, officials said on the fire's information page. "Crews are building on the progress made yesterday and overnight," according to a July 20 update on the fire's information page. "Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are creating better conditions for mop-up work, especially along the fire perimeter and around structures." The fire ignited near Willowdale, a sparsely populated area about 133 miles southeast of Portland, and swept through grasslands and rangeland in the region, fire officials said. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Local authorities in Jefferson, Wasco, and Crook counties have issued evacuation orders or warnings across multiple zones. A total of four residences and two other structures were destroyed in the fire, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The Cram Fire is one of at least 46 active wildfires, most of which have been contained, in Oregon, according to the state's fires and hotspots dashboard. The fire also leads the list of wildfire incidents in 2025, followed by the Madre Fire in central California that has burned nearly 81,000 acres, according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker. Arizona wildfire: The Grand Canyon fire exploded in size, catching officials off guard. Why? Cram Fire nears megafire status as officials warn of worsening wildfire conditions The Cram Fire has grown increasingly close to becoming Oregon's first megafire of the season. A megafire is defined by the National Interagency Fire Center as a wildfire that burns more than 100,000 acres of land. Fire officials said more than 900 personnel were responding to the blaze in addition to 88 fire engines, 18 handcrews, and eight helicopters. The Central Oregon Fire Information noted on July 20 that while fire behavior has moderated, crews continued to focus on gridding near the fire's perimeter and reducing materials that have the potential of fueling spot fires. "Yesterday was another favorable day with us with the weather, and so a lot of good work was done," Scott Stutzman, operations section chief of the Oregon State Fire Marshal, said in a video update on July 20. "We'll have those crews out there continuing to maintain a presence mopping up, and also assisting our wildland partners on the perimeter." On July 16, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency that will last through the end of the year "due to the imminent threat of wildfire." Multiple large wildfires have already exploded in 2025, largely east of the Cascade Range, according to the Salem Statesman Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Oregon's wildfire danger is forecast to remain above normal through summer, the Salem Statesman Journal reported. "Oregon is already experiencing a devastating wildfire season that will have lasting consequences," Kotek said in a news release. "The summer is only getting hotter, drier, and more dangerous – we have to be prepared for worsening conditions." See maps: Which cities are experiencing poor air quality from wildfires? 'Fire activity is high across the country' The National Interagency Fire Center warned on July 20 that "fire activity is high across the country," adding that there are 91 large, uncontained wildfires. "Nearly 18,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are on the ground nationwide," the center said in an update. "In 2025 thus far, there have been 40,934 total wildfires, for a combined acreage of 2,850,245." Hot, dry, and windy weather continues to fuel wildfire conditions across parts of the Northwest, Great Basin, and Southwest, according to the center. The center added that some areas were forecast to see wind gusts over 40 mph and low humidity levels "dropping into the single digits." The center noted that each year, thousands of wildfires in the United States are caused by people. "Major causes of these fires include loss of control of debris burning, unattended or unextinguished campfires, and sparks or heat transfer from vehicles and equipment like chainsaws or recreational vehicles," the center said. Contributing: Zach Urness and Rose Shimberg, Salem Statesman Journal
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
Fire season is upon us. This new transit technology can give California the upper hand
California fire season is officially upon us. As of Sunday, the Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County has burned nearly 81,000 acres and injured one firefighter. Thankfully, technology is opening new paths for putting out wildfires such as this one affordably, safely and with huge cuts to carbon emissions. Recent advances in aeronautics, satellite and electric vehicle technologies have converged to allow low-cost, quiet, electric, emission-free, pilotless sky taxis to carry people and goods between tiny 3-acre airparks. Such sky taxis are also capable of effectively fighting wildfires. And they can and should be deployed in California. A research project I conducted as a senior fellow at UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies for the Sustainable Aviation Foundation, where I serve as president, found that squadrons of sky taxis can be converted to serve as fire-dousing robotic aircraft that I call eTankers. When auto-dispatched, these eTankers would compose a bucket brigade aerial-spray can that could potentially drop 20 times more liquid per hour than our present air tankers. Each of Cal Fire's human-piloted large air tankers costs about $24 million, and they cannot fly at night or in smoke. Pilotless, electric mass-produced eTankers would cost less and carry no flammable fuel. These eTankers could fly at night in high winds and through heavy smoke while pinpointing their drop locations using their onboard flame-hunting cameras. Arriving on-scene, they could drop their loads of flame-dousing liquid from a low height. In a UCLA-led study published in the journal Environmental Pollution in October 2022 by authors Michael Jerrett, Amir S. Jina and Miriam E. Marlier found that 'all carbon emission reductions achieved by all California environmental programs between 2003 and 2019 were offset by the carbon dioxide emissions from California wildfires in 2020 alone — by a factor of two.' The emissions, losses and damages from wildfires recur each year in California, resulting in tens of billions in direct costs. This does not even include the costs of ecosystem damage, horrendous losses of human life, chronic pulmonary diseases, toxic run-offs and air quality degradation. This could all explain why 2023 and 2024 were the hottest years on record, and why climate models cannot explain the steep rise in global carbon emissions. It could be because the forfeiture of carbon capture due to wildfires accumulates. After a wildfire, it takes over 20 years for a burned forest and four years for burned grasslands to recover 50% of their original photosynthetic capacity. A a result, the loss of carbon capture increases every year. Fighting wildfires with autonomous aerial firefighting could help turn that around. But how to pay for such a system? A state fire tax? Parcel tax? Sales tax? A state ballot proposition? Utility surcharges? Bonds? All likely unpopular. But Californians are, indirectly, already paying dearly each year for wildfire damage. For example, since 2019, the annual budget for Cal Fire rose from $2 billion to $3.8 billion, and its staffing increased from 5,829 to 10,741. Yet mega-fires like those earlier this year in Los Angeles County continue to happen. Fire devastation during the past decade has substantially raised insurance premiums for California homeowners by an average of $679 per year. Moreover, the California Public Utilities Commission authorized the three largest utilities in the state to collect an additional $27 billion from 2019 to 2023 for wildfire prevention and insurance costs, which on average added another $572 cost per year, per ratepayer. California homeowners are burdened with an annual cost increase of $1,251 due to wildfires. Developing a statewide pilotless transit/cargo system could potentially earn significant profits for an operating entity while removing car traffic from our state's gridlocked freeways. Such profit could pay for building and maintaining an autonomous aerial firefighting system that could repurpose sky taxis as eTankers. By removing fossil-fueled cars from our highways, we could also cut California's annual carbon emissions and save our state billions of dollars by reducing the need to build more roads, rail, tunnels and bridges. The Global Carbon Project's latest data show continuation of the pathetically insufficient progress in cutting global fossil fuel use. This urgently compels us to find alternative and effective ways to cut emissions. As a technological remedy for the climate crisis, wildfires, emergency services, surface gridlock, toxic runoffs and untenable infrastructure costs, creating a multifaceted pilotless flight network could reenergize growth and create jobs in California's aerospace and tech sectors, save hundreds of billions of dollars and many lives. The obvious and urgent need should implore Gov. Gavin Newsom to make this a signature moonshot project for California.
Arab Times
10-07-2025
- Arab Times
13-year-old suspected of setting off fireworks that sparked S.California wildfire
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif, July 10, (AP): A 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of setting off fireworks that sparked a wildfire this week in coastal Southern California, forcing the evacuations of about a hundred canyon homes, authorities said. Crews with air support protected residences from the Rancho Fire as flames raced through dry brush Monday afternoon in Laguna Beach. It was held to 4 acres (1.6 hectares) with no damage to structures. Police initially detained two juveniles who they later determined were witnesses, not suspects, the city said in a statement Tuesday. "Officers later obtained video evidence clearly showing a juvenile suspect lighting a firework and fleeing the scene,' the statement said. The 13-year-old was taken into custody a short time later and could face charges including felony reckless burning of forest land, officials said. The teen was released to his parents. The Laguna Beach blaze was one of dozens of wildfires burning this week in the state. The risk of fire was especially high Wednesday as temperatures spiked and humidity dropped across inland Southern California. The Madre Fire became California's largest blaze so far this year, ripping through grasslands after breaking out July 2 in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. By Wednesday, it covered more than 125 square miles (323 square kilometers). It was more than 60% contained.
09-07-2025
Teen suspected of setting off fireworks that sparked Southern California wildfire
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. -- A 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of setting off fireworks that sparked a wildfire this week in coastal Southern California, forcing the evacuations of about a hundred canyon homes, authorities said. Crews with air support protected residences from the Rancho Fire as flames raced through dry brush Monday afternoon in Laguna Beach. It was held to 4 acres (1.6 hectares) with no damage to structures. Police initially detained two juveniles who they later determined were witnesses, not suspects, the city said in a statement Tuesday. 'Officers later obtained video evidence clearly showing a juvenile suspect lighting a firework and fleeing the scene,' the statement said. The 13-year-old was taken into custody a short time later and could face charges including felony reckless burning of forest land, officials said. The teen was released to his parents. The Laguna Beach blaze was one of dozens of wildfires burning this week in the state. The risk of fire was especially high Wednesday as temperatures spiked and humidity dropped across inland Southern California. The Madre Fire became California's largest blaze so far this year, ripping through grasslands after breaking out July 2 in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. By Wednesday, it covered more than 125 square miles (323 square kilometers). It was more than 60% contained.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
13-year-old suspected of setting off fireworks that sparked Southern California wildfire
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of setting off fireworks that sparked a wildfire this week in coastal Southern California, forcing the evacuations of about a hundred canyon homes, authorities said. Crews with air support protected residences from the Rancho Fire as flames raced through dry brush Monday afternoon in Laguna Beach. It was held to 4 acres (1.6 hectares) with no damage to structures. Police initially detained two juveniles who they later determined were witnesses, not suspects, the city said in a statement Tuesday. 'Officers later obtained video evidence clearly showing a juvenile suspect lighting a firework and fleeing the scene,' the statement said. The 13-year-old was taken into custody a short time later and could face charges including felony reckless burning of forest land, officials said. The teen was released to his parents. The Laguna Beach blaze was one of dozens of wildfires burning this week in the state. The risk of fire was especially high Wednesday as temperatures spiked and humidity dropped across inland Southern California. The Madre Fire became California's largest blaze so far this year, ripping through grasslands after breaking out July 2 in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. By Wednesday, it covered more than 125 square miles (323 square kilometers). It was more than 60% contained.
