Exhausted firefighters battled wildfires that spanned the entire state over the weekend, with the most destructive inferno claiming the ninth victim of the deadly outbreak and managers of Yosemite announcing the indefinite closure of the heart of the park.
Jay Ayeta, 21, an apprentice lineman for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., died Saturday while working to restore power near the Carr Fire in Redding, utility spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin said Sunday.
His death came as smoke from the Ferguson Fire forced Yosemite National Park to shutter its glorious scenery. Tioga Road from Tioga Pass to White Wolf remains open. but Yosemite Valley is closed at the peak of summer tourist season.
“It is just not safe for visitors and employees in the park,” Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said Sunday.
And as those blazes continue to churn, the Mendocino Complex roaring in Lake and Mendocino counties grew over the weekend into one of the largest blazes in California history.
Ayeta is the seventh person to die in the Carr fire — two firefighters and four other people have been killed in the blaze. And two more firefighters have died battling the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite.
“Crews in a remote area with dangerous terrain were performing restoration work when a crew member suffered an accident and a fatal injury in western Shasta County,” said J.D. Guidi, also a utility spokesperson. “PG&E crews arrived shortly after the incident to ensure the area was safe for first responders and supported public agencies accordingly.”
Guidi said PG&E is working with law enforcement to investigate the death.
“The safety of our customers, employees, contractors and communities we serve is PG&E’s top priority,” Guidi said. “Unfortunately, one member of the PG&E family has died and our thoughts are with those involved in the incident and their families.”
The Carr Fire in Shasta County — which had burned 154,524 acres by Sunday afternoon — has razed 1,080 homes, 24 commercial buildings and 500 other structures, Cal Fire said Sunday. A total of 1,229 structures continue to be threatened. Officials have not yet projected when it could be fully contained.
Elsewhere in Northern California, firefighters have been working to contain multiple other fires as high temperatures, high winds and low humidity persist throughout the region.
As the Ferguson Fire grew to nearly 90,000 acres Sunday, Yosemite managers decided to extend its closures indefinitely. Major portions of the park have been closed since July 25, and officials had originally hoped to re-open at least parts of the valley by Sunday.
“Over the past 48 hours, fire has impacted all of the roads used to access Yosemite Valley, burning dead and downed trees that can become very explosive and fall without warning,” Gediman said in a statement. “There are also significant terrain hazards for firefighters.”
The blaze, which has been burning for 23 days and grew from 81,699 acres on Saturday to 89,633 acres on Sunday, was 35 percent contained. And as unfavorable weather conditions persist, Jim Mackensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said the fire is only expected to keep growing.
“It’s been a very, very challenging fire,” Mackensen said. “I’ve been doing this over 40 years and this is the most challenging.”
Temperatures are expected to climb into the 90s this week, and won’t begin easing until Thursday, said Cindy Bean, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. And smoke from both the Ferguson and Carr fires continues to cloud the region.
Two firefighters have been killed in the Ferguson blaze and 11 others injured. A memorial service was held in Fresno on Saturday for Arrowhead Hot Shots Capt. Brian Hughes, 33, who died July 29 fighting the blaze when he was struck by a tree.
In Mendocino and Lake counties, the River Fire and Ranch Fire, which make up the Mendocino Complex, expanded to 254,982 acres by Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That makes it the fifth largest wildfire in California history.
Fire crews gained ground on the River Fire, which is now 58 percent contained, but the larger Ranch Fire continued to grow, heading southeast.
New mandatory evacuations were ordered over the weekend in Lake, Colusa and Glenn counties near the Indian Valley Reservoir and the Spring Valley area. More than 3,500 firefighters are battling the blaze, and are expected to focus on protecting communities in the path of the Ranch Fire, Cal Fire officials said.
The Mendocino Complex fires have destroyed 68 homes and 62 other buildings, and 15,300 remain threatened. The cause of the fires is not known.
In Alameda County, the Creek Fire, which ignited Saturday night southeast of Sunol, was about 75 percent contained at 30 acres on Sunday, and destroyed no homes or other structures, according to Cal Fire.
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