Firefighters struggled to control major wildfires in Southern California and the Sierra Nevada that have grown explosively, forced extensive evacuations and produced smoke that could interfere with solar power production.
and as moisture from a tropical storm was expected to bring thunderstorms and floods along with cooling.
Flames jumped the American River, burning structures in the mountain hamlet of Volcanoville and moving closer to the town of Foresthill, home to about 1,500 people. Fire spokesperson Chris Vestal called the fast-moving blaze an"extreme and critical fire threat." Another dangerous blaze burned in stands of timber near the Big Bear Lake resort region in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. It was just 2% contained after scorching nearly 2 square miles.
An emergency appeal for conservation that was sent to Californians' cellphones was credited with an immediate drop in demand on the electrical grid that evening. "We certainly think we're close to turning the corner, but we still have challenges ahead of us this evening," Mainzer said. Up the West Coast, forecasters predicted strong, gusting winds and low humidity across western Oregon beginning Friday' and authorities warned of heightened wildfire danger after an unseasonably hot and dry late summer.
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