Local News

Since a huge lightning storm on June 21, more than 2,000 separate fires have ignited across California, ravaging nearly 1,413 square miles.  California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in 12 counties affected by the wildfires and has called in the National Guard to help.

Bush took an aerial tour with Schwarzenegger to survey fire damage in the 2.1 million-acre Shasta-Trinity National Forest, the largest in California.

Schwarzenegger said 80 percent of the U.S. fire resources for firefighting are deployed in California.

"I'd like to let the people out here know that we're paying attention in Washington, D.C.," Bush said. "We care about you and we'll respond as best as we possibly can."

Bush was shown maps of the fires and then chatted with smoke jumpers who were mending and repacking parachutes.

"I want to say something to the firefighters. We had the privilege of meeting some of these smoke jumpers. They're unusual people—very courageous, determined and dedicated."

Briefing reporters aboard Air Force One, David Paulison, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said a myriad of federal agencies have been participating in daily, one-hour video conferences with California officials to identify ways for the federal government to help the state.

He said a unified command system that FEMA put in place after the ineffective and sluggish federal response to Hurricane Katrina started working well last year and has helped provide timely federal help to California.

"It's been tough for the residents, I understand that," Paulison said. "But I have to tell you, the firefighting coordination, considering the size of this event, has been some of the best I've seen. I'm very proud of what's happened."

So far, FEMA has obligated more than $154 million to California to pay for firefighting, evacuations, shelter, traffic control, equipment and supplies, Paulison said. Nearly 150 helicopters and more than 1,000 fire engines are involved.

Meanwhile, state fire officials reported progress with blazes around the state, with only 38 fires still burning nearly a month after the dry lightning storm that ignited them.

Several rural communities in the Placer, Trinity and Monterey counties remained threatened by the persistent fires.

"The weather is stable steady hot and dry inland," said Jason Kirchner, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. "Our folks are grinding away on these fires, making progress, but it's coming slow and it's a lot of work." 
 
Monterey County

Mandatory evacuations were lifted by Friday in most of the Los Padres National Forest around Big Sur, with only the occupants of a few cabins in the Santa Lucia Tract still ordered to stay away.

The Basin Complex Fire was 65 percent contained, after having blackened about 200 square miles or 128,350 acres since being ignited by lightning on June 21, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
 
The mandatory evacuations ordered in the Carmel Valley Road area between Martin and Piney Creek roads were downgraded to a voluntary evacuation as of 10 a.m. Friday, according to the Monterey County Emergency Operations Center. 

Additional mandatory evacuations for the Lower Cachagua and Tassajara Road areas were lifted Thursday night, fire officials said. But residents were warned to remain prepared for evacuation until the fire has been completely contained.

Six tourist attractions along the Big Sur coastline were also set to reopen Friday. The Forest Service said they included Pfeiffer Beach, Jade Cove Beach, Sand Dollar, Mill Creek, Willow Creek and San Carpoforo Beach.

For the time being, use would be restricted to daytime activities, with no overnight camping allowed. Wood and charcoal campfires were prohibited too, but gas stoves would be allowed. Officials said all other lands inside the Monterey Ranger District of the Los Padres Forest would remain closed since the fire containment is still not expected until July 30.
 
Flames have consumed 27 homes and 34 other structures, and suppression of the fire has cost more than $53.8 million so far, according to fire officials. Nearly 2,000 fire personnel were dedicated to fighting the blaze, and nine injuries had been reported.

Trinity & Shasta Counties

Further north, in Trinity and Shasta counties, mandatory evacuations were still in effect Friday for areas of Junction City, and the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. The fire there was also 65 percent contained.

The heat and the dry vegetation were keeping alive the threat to Junction City, a small and rural community in Trinity County.

"You're going to start seeing, as this drags on, that our crews are getting tired," said Kirchner. "We're really focused on getting them rested. We're looking at this as a marathon and not a sprint. We want to pace ourselves."

Earlier in the week, three men and a teenager trapped by flames in the Whiskeytown forest area were rescued on a closed road by fire crews and treated for burns, authorities said.

Jim Richardson, chief ranger at the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area said their presence in an area known for clandestine marijuana plantations would be investigated as soon as the fire was extinguished.
 
On Thursday, a six-to-eight week-old bear cub was also discovered tottering down a trail in the hot ashes of the so-called Moon Fire in Shasta County. 

The 15-pound bear cub was badly dehydrated, suffering serious burns to all four paws, had an injured eye and was crying for its mother - which fire personnel could not find.

The young bear, dubbed "Smokey, Junior," reportedly enjoyed a lollipop before he was taken to a wildlife rescue center in Rancho Cordova. As of Friday, there was no prognosis on the future of the cub, if he would survive or not.

The firefighter who rescued the cub was undergoing rabies treatment as a precaution since the cub had scratched the firefighter's hands and then later licked the scratches.

Placer County

Fire crews pushed forward in Placer County, where containment inched up to 55 percent for the fire threatening the unincorporated rural community of Blue Canyon.

Firefighters there managed to build buffer lines through the mountainous terrain and protect homes, officials said.

Butte County

The complex of fires in Butte County was 80 percent contained Friday after burning through 86 square miles and destroying dozens of homes.

More help was on the way as a total of 96 firefighters from Santa Cruz County were headed to the front lines of the Butte Lightning Complex fires.

The four crews were comprised of firefighters from Felton, Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz, Watsonville, and Branciforte.

The Butte County fires had destroyed more than 53,000 acres so far and at points had prompted evacuations in the towns of Paradise and Concow.

A man whose body was found a week ago Friday in a burned-out house in rural part of the county was identified as a 61-year-old, Van Scott West, who didn't heed evacuation requests.

"It's important that people listen," said Daniel Berlant, a state fire department spokesman. "When we put an evacuation notice out, there's a reason. People want to defend their property, but they're not trained, they don't have safety gear."

Mendocino County

Four weeks after lightning strikes caused 129 Mendocino Lightning Complex blazes, the fires were now 100 percent contained, Cal Fire said Friday.

The fires consumed 53,300 acres and had cost $45.8 million to fight.

Smoke and flare-ups could still continue within the control lines and firefighters would be extinguishing any remaining hot spots and patrolling all fires for several days, Cal Fire said.

There were 46 injuries and one fatality connected with the Mendocino blazes. A voluntary firefighter with the Alexander Valley Fire Department died after suffering a heart attack on the fire lines.

Cal Fire updates on all the major blazes burning throughout the state are available online at: http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_current.