ReportWire

Tag: interactive map

  • Map: Check air quality levels in Northern California on Monday

    [ad_1]

    Air quality concerns linger on Monday with moderate to unhealthy rounds of air quality for sensitive groups, especially, according to our weather team. See the full forecast here. The Sacramento Air Quality Management District has kept Monday in the “Stage 1 – No Burn Unless Exempt” category. That means in Sacramento County, it is illegal to operate a wood-burning device or light a fire unless you use an EPA-certified fireplace insert, stove or pellet stove, and it does not emit visible smoke. “By restricting burning, we’re able to stop the creation of more pollution, and hopefully, when weather conditions change a few days after that, then we’re able to allow burning again,” Emily Allshouse from the Sacramento Air Quality Management District said earlier this week.The annual Check Before You Burn season runs from Nov. 1 through the end of February.The county offers exemptions for certain households that rely on fireplaces as a primary source of heat, but these exemptions require annual application and approval before burning is allowed. How to check air quality where you liveKnowing how to check air quality conditions can help you make the best decisions to keep yourself and your family safe.”Everyone can protect themselves by kind of staying indoors as much as possible, maybe running an air purifier if you have one to help clean that air and keep the dirty air out by having windows closed, which this time of year, isn’t too much of an issue,” Rebecca Schmidt from UC Davis Public Health Sciences said earlier this week. Here are two tools that the KCRA 3 Weather Team uses and trusts.AirNow.govThis site is run by the Environmental Protection Agency.The EPA has sensors throughout Northern California that track both smoke pollution and ozone pollution. Live updates on those readings can be seen using AirNow’s interactive map. The site also provides a rough forecast of expected air quality conditions in specific areas.All of the reports are based on the Air Quality Index, also developed by the EPA.An AQI of 50 or lower represents “Good” quality air that is relatively free of pollutants. Once the AQI reaches 101, air pollution is at a level that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including the very old, the very young and anyone with a respiratory or immune condition.An AQI above 300 is hazardous in the short and long term for everyone.If you want to check the air quality on the go, the AirNow app is a good, free resource.PurpleAir.comPurpleAir is a private company with its own network of air quality monitors purchased by users around the world. These sensors are specifically designed to track smoke pollution.The free interactive map page displays real-time AQI readings.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Air quality concerns linger on Monday with moderate to unhealthy rounds of air quality for sensitive groups, especially, according to our weather team.

    The Sacramento Air Quality Management District has kept Monday in the “Stage 1 – No Burn Unless Exempt” category.

    That means in Sacramento County, it is illegal to operate a wood-burning device or light a fire unless you use an EPA-certified fireplace insert, stove or pellet stove, and it does not emit visible smoke.

    “By restricting burning, we’re able to stop the creation of more pollution, and hopefully, when weather conditions change a few days after that, then we’re able to allow burning again,” Emily Allshouse from the Sacramento Air Quality Management District said earlier this week.

    The annual Check Before You Burn season runs from Nov. 1 through the end of February.

    The county offers exemptions for certain households that rely on fireplaces as a primary source of heat, but these exemptions require annual application and approval before burning is allowed.

    How to check air quality where you live

    Knowing how to check air quality conditions can help you make the best decisions to keep yourself and your family safe.

    “Everyone can protect themselves by kind of staying indoors as much as possible, maybe running an air purifier if you have one to help clean that air and keep the dirty air out by having windows closed, which this time of year, isn’t too much of an issue,” Rebecca Schmidt from UC Davis Public Health Sciences said earlier this week.

    Here are two tools that the KCRA 3 Weather Team uses and trusts.

    AirNow.gov

    This site is run by the Environmental Protection Agency.

    The EPA has sensors throughout Northern California that track both smoke pollution and ozone pollution. Live updates on those readings can be seen using AirNow’s interactive map. The site also provides a rough forecast of expected air quality conditions in specific areas.

    All of the reports are based on the Air Quality Index, also developed by the EPA.

    An AQI of 50 or lower represents “Good” quality air that is relatively free of pollutants. Once the AQI reaches 101, air pollution is at a level that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including the very old, the very young and anyone with a respiratory or immune condition.

    An AQI above 300 is hazardous in the short and long term for everyone.

    If you want to check the air quality on the go, the AirNow app is a good, free resource.

    PurpleAir.com

    PurpleAir is a private company with its own network of air quality monitors purchased by users around the world. These sensors are specifically designed to track smoke pollution.

    The free interactive map page displays real-time AQI readings.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • TCU September Lightning Complex: Lightning-sparked fires force evacuations, destroy structures

    [ad_1]

    TCU September Lightning Complex: Lightning-sparked fires force evacuations, destroy structures

    WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. AND THAT BREAKING NEWS IS OUT OF CALAVERAS AND TUOLUMNE COUNTY. RESIDENTS ARE EVACUATED AS FIRE CREWS BATTLE THE TCU SEPTEMBER LIGHTNING COMPLEX. WE SEE SOME OF THE VIDEO HERE BEHIND US RIGHT NOW. NOW THE COMPLEX IS MADE UP OF AT LEAST NINE FIRES THAT HAVE BURNED MORE THAN 12,000 ACRES IN TUOLUMNE COUNTY. EVACUATION ORDERS STRETCHED FROM THE DON PEDRO RESERVOIR UP THROUGH CHINESE CAMP TO MONTEZUMA AND YOSEMITE JUNCTION. WARNINGS SHOWN THERE IN YELLOW INCLUDE QUARTZ SOUTH OF JAMESTOWN. NOW ANOTHER PORTION OF THE LIGHTNING COMPLEX IS BURNING IN CALAVERAS COUNTY, JUST NORTH OF ANGELS CAMP. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE EVACUATION AREA RIGHT HERE. ORDERS RIGHT NOW. MARKED IN RED. THEY RUN FROM VALLECITO TO MURPHYS, WHILE AREAS IN YELLOW. THOSE ARE WARNINGS, MEANING RESIDENTS SHOULD BE READY TO LEAVE AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE. WE DO HAVE TEAM COVERAGE THIS MORNING. MELANIE WINGO GATHERING INFORMATION ABOUT THE AIR RESOURCES THAT FIRE CREWS ARE USING. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST OPHELIA YOUNG KEEPING AN EYE ON AIR QUALITY AS SMOKE DRIFTS FROM THOSE FIRES AS WELL. MIKE TESELLE IS IN TUOLUMNE COUNTY. THAT’S WHERE FLAMES HAVE RAVAGED A HISTORIC TOWN. WHILE TRAFFIC BRIAN HICKEY IS MONITORING THOSE ROAD CLOSURES THROUGHOUT BOTH COUNTY BUT COUNTIES. BUT LET’S BEGIN WITH THE VERY LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND HOW THEY’RE IMPACTING CONTAINMENT EFFORTS WITH METEOROLOGIST TAMARA BERG, ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IS TO DO A LITTLE SHOW AND TELL. I’M GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH A REWIND HERE OVER THE LAST 30 MINUTES. THIS IS COMING IN FROM. SONORA WEST, AND IT’S ACTUALLY LOOKING DOWN THE HIGHWAY 108 CORRIDOR AND OFF TO THE WESTERLY DIRECTION. AND THIS IS AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 2400FT. SO THE SONORA WEST CAMERA SHOWS YOU NOT ONLY JUST A BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE, BUT THESE SMOKY SKIES HERE AROUND SONORA. AND AT LEAST YOU AREN’T SEEING FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT ANY MAJOR HOTSPOTS CONDITIONS RIGHT NOW AROUND THE TCU LIGHTNING COMPLEX INCLUDE WIND SPEEDS OUT OF THE NORTHEAST 5 TO 10MPH, SO THEY’VE BEEN PRETTY LIGHT IN THESE OVERNIGHT HOURS. TEMPERATURES CURRENTLY IN THE LOWER 70. SO IT’S BEEN QUITE MILD. HUMIDITY HAS BEEN ABOUT 50%. AND THE AIR QUALITY SO FAR WE’RE GOING TO HEAR MORE ON THAT HAS BEEN DEEMED UNHEALTHY IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS. THERE ARE PARTS OF CALAVERAS AND TUOLUMNE COUNTIES. SO THE WIND FORECAST FOR THE MORNING AGAIN, PRETTY LIGHT, PRIMARILY EAST TO NORTHEAST. BUT NOW THAT THE SUN IS COMING UP, THOSE WIND CONDITIONS ARE GOING TO CHANGE. MOVING TO MORE OF A SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION DURING THE DAYLIGHT AND CHARGE UP A LITTLE BIT IN THAT 10 TO 15MPH RANGE IN ANGELS CAMP CHINESE CAMP AREA AND IN THROUGH COLUMBIA. SO THAT WILL MEAN SOME CHANGEABLE AIR QUALITY AS WELL, ESPECIALLY AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS ACROSS THE REGION. TODAY, TEMPERATURES DOWN. THAT’S GOOD NEWS. ALONG THE FIRE LINES, WE’RE LOOKING AT MID 70S WITH STORMS STAYING TO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA TODAY, ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF TAHOE. SMOKY SKIES, LOW 90S IN THE FOOTHILLS WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 90S ACROSS THE VALLEY. COMING UP IN THE NEXT TEN MINUTES, I’LL WALK YOU THROUGH THE EXTENDED FORECAST, NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD. IT IS 703 RIGHT NOW. LET’S GET A CHECK OF THE HIGHWAY CONDITIONS WITH BRIAN. THANKS, TAMARA. START HERE ALONG HIGHWAY 50, COMING IN THROUGH WHITE ROCK ROAD. YOU CAN SEE THERE TRAFFIC IS CRUISING. WE’RE REALLY NO TROUBLE HERE IN THE 50 CORRIDOR. 80 COMING IN. JUST SOME MINOR DELAYS THROUGH GREENBACK. BUT OTHERWISE OVER THE TOP. ALL CLEAR AND JUST A MINOR SLOWDOWN. GETTING ON TO THE CAUSEWAY AS YOU’RE MAKING YOUR WAY NORTHBOUND ON 99. SEEING SOME HEAVIER TRAFFIC HERE AT FLORIN ROAD. AND THAT ALL STARTS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER BACK TOWARDS MACK. YOU START TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF SLOWING, BUT RIGHT AT FLORIN YOU CAN SEE SOME RED ON THE SPEED SENSORS THERE, BUT THAT’S IT. NO INCIDENTS. AND IN STOCKTON WE’RE ALL CLEAR AS YOU HEAD EAST THOUGH, UP INTO THE COMPLEX FIRES THERE. THEY’VE GOT 120 AND 49 CLOSED JUST OFF OF 108 TOWARDS CHINESE CAMP WITH FIRE ACTIVITY IN THAT AREA. SO AGAIN AVOID THAT FOR NOW. 80 A 12 MINUTE RIDE OUT OF ROSEVILLE, 50 OUT OF FOLSOM LOOKING AT 16 MINUTES, 99 TO 12 MINUTE RIDE FROM ELK GROVE I5 11 MINUTES BACK TO YOU, BRIAN. THANK YOU. AS RESIDENTS DO LEAVE THEIR HOMES, OFFICIALS ARE NOW OPENING EVACUATION POINTS IN CALAVERAS COUNTY. A SHELTER HAS BEEN SET UP AT BRET HARTE HIGH SCHOOL THAT’S IN ANGELS CAMP ON MURPHYS GRADE ROAD. THEY’RE ACCEPTING PETS. THEIR LIVESTOCK CAN BE TAKEN TO THE CALAVERAS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS ON FROGTOWN ROAD IN TUOLUMNE COUNTY. RESIDENTS CAN GO TO THE SONORA SENIOR CENTER THAT’S ON GREELEY ROAD. THEY’RE ACCEPTING PETS AS WELL. LIVESTOCK AND OTHER LARGE ANIMALS CAN BE TAKEN TO THE MOTHERLODE FAIRGROUNDS ON SOUTH GATE DRIVE. KCRA 3’S MIKE TESELLE JOINS US NOW LIVE WITH AN UPDATE FROM WHERE HE IS. MIKE. OF COURSE, WE KNOW THE SUN IS UP NOW AND THAT DOES GIVE A BETTER IDEA AND A BETTER LOOK AT WHAT HAS HAPPENED OVERNIGHT. YEAH, AND WITH THE SUN UP OVER THE HORIZON, WE ARE GETTING THAT BETTER LOOK OF THE DAMAGE. HERE WE ARE STANDING ON RED HILL ROAD JUST TO THE WEST OF HIGHWAY 120, AND THE SCENE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. JUST EVERY DIRECTION YOU LOOK ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF DESTRUCTION, A LOT OF DESTROYED HOMES. THIS AGAIN, A LOOK FROM RED HILL ROAD. IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH CHINESE CAMP ALONG RED HILL ROAD, MAIDEN CURRY, WASHINGTON, MAINE, THOSE ARE ALL THE CROSS STREETS WHERE WE’RE SEEING DAMAGE LIKE THIS THIS MORNING AS WE’RE GETTING THIS FIRST DAYLIGHT VIEW. NOW, I CAN TELL YOU JUST UP THE ROAD, A HOME AT THE 13 500 RED HILL, UNTOUCHED BY FLAMES. SO THAT HOME SAVED. AND THEN A LITTLE FURTHER UP THE ROAD, THE CHINESE CAMP SCHOOL, THAT ONE ALSO SPARED FROM ANY DAMAGE. BUT IT IS JUST OFF OF 120 UP TO THAT POINT OF 13 500. RED HILL, WHERE THIS IS THE SCENE, MANY STRUCTURES LOST. WE DON’T HAVE A FIRM COUNT AS OF NOW, BUT CLEARLY DOZENS OF STRUCTURES BURNED IN THIS FIRE. NOW, THIS IS YOUR DAYLIGHT. LOOK, LET ME GIVE YOU A QUICK LOOK OF WHAT OUR CREWS SAW WHEN THEY WERE HERE LAST NIGHT. A MUCH MORE ACTIVE SCENE AS FAR AS FIRE ACTIVITY. AND THAT FIRE ACTIVITY. UNFORTUNATELY, BURNING HOMES AND DOWNING POWER LINES. WE’VE SEEN MULTIPLE POWER LINES DOWN ALONG THIS ROAD AS WELL. NO HOMEOWNERS IN THIS AREA RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THIS IS AN EVACUATED AREA. SO AGAIN, IF WE CAN COME BACK OUT HERE, LIVE OUR FIRST DAYLIGHT, LOOK AT SOME OF THE ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT AREAS OF THIS SIX FIVE FIRE HERE ALONG RED HILL ROAD. AND THEN AGAIN, AS WE REPORTED EARLIER THIS MORNING, COMING IN ON 120, WE SAW A COUPLE OF HOMES AND STRUCTURES ALONG 120 THAT WERE BURNED COMING IN FROM THE NORTH. SO CLEARLY A LOT OF DAMAGE DONE IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THIS SPECIFICALLY IS THE SIX FIVE FIRE OF THAT COMPLEX. WE WERE ALSO IN THE TWO THREE DROVE PAST THE TWO THREE COMPLEX. THAT’S WHERE WE SAW SOME ACTIVE FLAMES ON THE HILLSIDE THIS MORNING. BUT AGAIN, THOSE RELATIVELY WERE CONTAINED, JUST KIND OF MOVING SLOWLY DOWN THE HILLSIDE. AS FOR THIS AREA, WE HAVEN’T REALLY SEEN A WHOLE LOT OF ACTIVE FIRE HERE THIS MORNING. JUST A WHOLE LOT OF DAMAGE DONE BY THAT ACTIVITY YESTERDAY INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THIS MORNING. LIVE IN CHINESE CAMP, TUOLUMNE MIKE TESELLE KCRA THREE NEWS. AND OF COURSE, MIKE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WATCHED THESE KIND OF INCIDENTS HAPPEN BEFORE AND YOUR HEART JUST BREAKS WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE DEVASTATION FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THOSE AREAS. AND JUST THE RECOVERY IS GOING TO TAKE WEEKS, MONTHS, MAYBE EVEN YEARS AS WELL. WE’RE GOING TO CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THIS HOUR AND KEEP US UPDATED, OF COURSE, ON WHAT YOU’RE SEEING OUT THERE. MEANTIME, IN TUOLUMNE COUNTY, THE BLACK OAK CASINO IS WORKING TO HELP THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES. THEY SAY ANYONE WHO IS UNDER A MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER CAN STAY WITH THEM FOR FREE. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SHOW YOUR CALIFORNIA ID IT DOES HAVE TO LIST. YOUR ADDRESS IS IN THE EVACUATION ZONE. THE SEPTEMBER LIGHTNING COMPLEX, ALSO IMPACTING AIR QUALITY IN THE MOTHERLODE KCRA 3 METEOROLOGIST OPHELIA YOUNG. JOINING US NOW WITH THE LATEST ON THIS. AND OPHELIA, WE KNOW THAT AS THE WINDS SHIFT, PEOPLE WITH ALLERGIES WILL DEFINITELY BE AFFECTED BY THIS. YES. IF YOU HAVE RESPIRATORY ISSUES, DEFINITELY A GOOD DAY TO STAY INDOORS. WE ARE TRACKING THE RETURN OF SOME ONSHORE WINDS, WHICH IS BOTH GOOD AND BAD. IT IS GOOD BECAUSE IT DOES BRING IN SOME COOLER AIR WHICH WILL HELP OUT FIRE CONDITIONS AND FIREFIGHTERS. BUT IT’S BAD BECAUSE THE VARYING AND SHIFTING WINDS WILL POSE SOME CHALLENGES AND WILL EVENTUALLY DRIVE UP SOME AIR FROM THE SOUTH, WHICH DOES INCLUDE SMOKE FROM NOT JUST ONE, BUT SEVERAL FIRES THAT ARE BURNING AND ALSO SOME FIRES IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. HERE’S A PHOTO OF THOSE SMOKY SKIES SHARED YESTERDAY FROM TIFFANY OF, IN HER WORDS, THE DRAMATIC FIRE SKIES OVER MURPHYS, ANOTHER ONE OF THE SUN GLOWING THROUGH THE SMOKE AS A PLANE PASSES OVERHEAD BY JAMIE LANE. FOOTHILL RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT TO WALK OUT TODAY TO MORE OF THE SAME UNHEALTHY AIR, WHICH IS CURRENTLY WORSE. AS YOU CAN SEE IN TUOLUMNE AND CALAVERAS COUNTIES. THOSE AREAS ARE NOT ONLY BEING DEALT SMOKE FROM LIGHTNING FIRES THAT BROKE OUT YESTERDAY, BUT THE ONGOING GARNETT FIRE FURTHER DOWN SOUTH IN THE FOOTHILLS OF FRESNO COUNTY. SMOKE DRIFTING NORTH, COMBINING WITH THE SMOKE FROM THE SEVERAL VEGETATION FIRES THAT SPARKED YESTERDAY. THOSE WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTH WILL DRIVE ALL OF THAT SMOKE NORTH, WHILE THE DELTA BREEZE WILL BE LIGHT BUT STILL PUSHING IT FROM THE VALLEY, BUNCHING IT UP IN THE FOOTHILLS. ESPECIALLY TONIGHT, MORE SMOKE WILL WAFT BACK AND FORTH FROM THE VALLEY TO THE FOOTHILLS TOMORROW, DEPENDING ON FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS. OF COURSE, THE SMOKE FORECAST MODEL THEN THINKING THE SMOKE WILL MOVE UP INTO THE SIERRA, WILL BE MORE CONCENTRATED THERE ON FRIDAY. SO HEADS UP FOR FOLKS WHO ARE HEADED TO OR ARE IN THE MOUNTAIN. OF COURSE, THIS FORECAST CAN CHANGE VERY QUICKLY WITH A FEW MORE STORMS FORECAST FOR THE SIERRA LATER TODAY. TAMARA BERG WILL HAVE MORE ON THAT LATER ON IN THE SHOW. FOR NOW, WE’RE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE DESK. MIKE AND BRANDI, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THAT. AND OF COURSE, DURING FIRE SEASON, HAVING A GO BAG READY CAN REALLY MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE WHEN DISASTER STRIKES. OFFICIALS RECOMMEND HAVING ESSENTIALS READY LIKE THE FOLLOWING YEAR. PRESCRIPTIONS OR MEDICATIONS, A CHANGE OF CLOTHES, EXTRA EYE GLASSES OR CONTACT LENSES, A FIRST AID KIT, A FLASHLIGHT, A BATTERY POWERED RADIO WITH EXTRA BATTERIES, AS WELL AS CHARGERS FOR ANY ELECTRONICS. NOW, PET OWNERS SHOULD ALSO HAVE LEAS

    TCU September Lightning Complex: Lightning-sparked fires force evacuations, destroy structures

    Updated: 7:52 AM PDT Sep 3, 2025

    Editorial Standards

    Evacuations remain in effect after a series of fires sparked by lightning started in two Northern California counties.While Cal Fire, the state’s fire management agency, has not reported structure damage, KCRA 3 was able to visually confirm several structures either destroyed or damaged in the historic Tuolumne County gold mining community of Chinese Camp.TCU September Lightning Complex acreage, containmentThe series of fires, grouped together by Cal Fire as the TCU September Lightning Complex, has collectively burned at least 11,977 acres as of 7:42 a.m., up from the 9,383 acres reported at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday.Earlier Wednesday morning, Cal Fire listed the acreage at 12,473, but numbers can change with better surveying and mapping of the burn area. At least nine fires comprise this complex. Of the nine, the two largest ones are the so-called 6-5 Fire in Tuolumne County that sparked near the Don Pedro Reservoir and the 2-7 Fire that started near Highway 4 and Milton Road in Stanislaus County. Cal Fire listed the cause of both fires as lightning.Both of those fires are among many given similar names after thousands of lightning strikes hit parts of the Central Valley, Sacramento Valley, and the Foothills. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Tuesday afternoon said that in the first two days of September, California had recorded 9,619 lightning strikes.On Wednesday, the governor’s press office said it announced the state secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The state plans to use that funding to ensure enough resources are being put toward the 2-7 Fire.The KCRA 3 weather team anticipates more thunderstorm activity in the Sierra, especially south of Tahoe, on Wednesday.As of Wednesday, there is no known containment around the fire. Containment measures how much of a perimeter crews have established around a burn area to help prevent flames from continuing to spread. It does not actually measure how much of a fire has been extinguished.Wildfire conditionsOn Wednesday morning during the 6 a.m. newscast, KCRA 3’s Mike TeSelle was at Chinese Camp and noted that fire activity had moderated in comparison to conditions on Tuesday. However, there is still a lot of work to be done in extinguishing the flames.TeSelle also noted that among the buildings destroyed is the town’s historic post office, which has been standing since 1854. See when TeSelle featured Chinese Camp in his Explore Outdoors series in the video below.TCU September Lightning Complex evacuations, shelter informationEvacuation orders and warnings are in place for both the 2-7 and 6-5 portions of the complex. With evacuation orders, you are lawfully required to immediately leave. You are not required to leave under a warning but are recommended to be ready to do so in case conditions become dangerous.See an interactive map below for evacuation orders and warnings in Calaveras County for 2-7.Find a map of evacuations in Tuolumne County for 6-5 here. We also have them listed below.6-5 evacuation ordersChinese Camp TownSix Bit Ranch RoadSix Bit Gulch RoadRed Hill RoadDon Pedrro Dam RoadOld Don Pedro Dam RoadMenkee Hess RoadAll roads East of Highway 108 from Junction 59 to Highway 49Both sides of highway 120 from Chinese Camp to Highway 120 BridgeRojo Shawmut Road6-5 evacuation warningsAll Areas from Bell Mooney & Jacksonville RoadWest to Highway 49 and Highway 108 South to Old Jacksonville RoadShelter informationEvacuees seeking shelter or looking for a place to take their animals can go to the following locations based on county.Calaveras CountyBret Harte High School: 323 South Main Street, Altaville, CA 95221Calaveras County Fairgrounds Livestock Evacuation Center (Livestock only): 101 Frogtown Road, Angels Camp, CA 95222Small, domestic pets can also be taken to Bret Harte High SchoolTuolumne CountySonora Senior Center: 540 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370Pets are allowed at the Sonora Senior Center, and animal control is on scene assistingAir quality in parts of Northern California is also experiencing unhealthier levels. Check air quality in your area with the interactive map below.This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 as we work to gather more details.| MORE | A 2025 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in California | Northern California wildfire resources by county: Find evacuation info, sign up for alertsCal Fire wildfire incidents: Cal Fire tracks its wildfire incidents here. You can sign up to receive text messages for Cal Fire updates on wildfires happening near your ZIP code here.Wildfires on federal land: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here.Preparing for power outages: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when returning from one here. Here is how to track and report PG&E power outages.Keeping informed when you’ve lost power and cellphone service: How to find a National Weather Service radio station near you.Be prepared for road closures: Download Caltrans’ QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Evacuations remain in effect after a series of fires sparked by lightning started in two Northern California counties.

    While Cal Fire, the state’s fire management agency, has not reported structure damage, KCRA 3 was able to visually confirm several structures either destroyed or damaged in the historic Tuolumne County gold mining community of Chinese Camp.

    TCU September Lightning Complex acreage, containment

    The series of fires, grouped together by Cal Fire as the TCU September Lightning Complex, has collectively burned at least 11,977 acres as of 7:42 a.m., up from the 9,383 acres reported at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday.

    Earlier Wednesday morning, Cal Fire listed the acreage at 12,473, but numbers can change with better surveying and mapping of the burn area.

    At least nine fires comprise this complex. Of the nine, the two largest ones are the so-called 6-5 Fire in Tuolumne County that sparked near the Don Pedro Reservoir and the 2-7 Fire that started near Highway 4 and Milton Road in Stanislaus County. Cal Fire listed the cause of both fires as lightning.

    TCU September Lightning Complex Fire live updates on Sept. 3

    Both of those fires are among many given similar names after thousands of lightning strikes hit parts of the Central Valley, Sacramento Valley, and the Foothills. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Tuesday afternoon said that in the first two days of September, California had recorded 9,619 lightning strikes.

    On Wednesday, the governor’s press office said it announced the state secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The state plans to use that funding to ensure enough resources are being put toward the 2-7 Fire.

    The KCRA 3 weather team anticipates more thunderstorm activity in the Sierra, especially south of Tahoe, on Wednesday.

    As of Wednesday, there is no known containment around the fire. Containment measures how much of a perimeter crews have established around a burn area to help prevent flames from continuing to spread. It does not actually measure how much of a fire has been extinguished.

    Wildfire conditions

    On Wednesday morning during the 6 a.m. newscast, KCRA 3’s Mike TeSelle was at Chinese Camp and noted that fire activity had moderated in comparison to conditions on Tuesday. However, there is still a lot of work to be done in extinguishing the flames.

    TeSelle also noted that among the buildings destroyed is the town’s historic post office, which has been standing since 1854. See when TeSelle featured Chinese Camp in his Explore Outdoors series in the video below.

    TCU September Lightning Complex evacuations, shelter information

    Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for both the 2-7 and 6-5 portions of the complex. With evacuation orders, you are lawfully required to immediately leave. You are not required to leave under a warning but are recommended to be ready to do so in case conditions become dangerous.

    See an interactive map below for evacuation orders and warnings in Calaveras County for 2-7.

    Find a map of evacuations in Tuolumne County for 6-5 here. We also have them listed below.

    6-5 evacuation orders

    • Chinese Camp Town
    • Six Bit Ranch Road
    • Six Bit Gulch Road
    • Red Hill Road
    • Don Pedrro Dam Road
    • Old Don Pedro Dam Road
    • Menkee Hess Road
    • All roads East of Highway 108 from Junction 59 to Highway 49
    • Both sides of highway 120 from Chinese Camp to Highway 120 Bridge
    • Rojo
    • Shawmut Road

    6-5 evacuation warnings

    • All Areas from Bell Mooney & Jacksonville Road
    • West to Highway 49 and Highway 108 South to Old Jacksonville Road

    Shelter information

    Evacuees seeking shelter or looking for a place to take their animals can go to the following locations based on county.

    Calaveras County

    • Bret Harte High School: 323 South Main Street, Altaville, CA 95221
    • Calaveras County Fairgrounds Livestock Evacuation Center (Livestock only): 101 Frogtown Road, Angels Camp, CA 95222
    • Small, domestic pets can also be taken to Bret Harte High School

    Tuolumne County

    • Sonora Senior Center: 540 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370
    • Pets are allowed at the Sonora Senior Center, and animal control is on scene assisting

    Air quality in parts of Northern California is also experiencing unhealthier levels. Check air quality in your area with the interactive map below.

    This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 as we work to gather more details.

    | MORE | A 2025 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in California | Northern California wildfire resources by county: Find evacuation info, sign up for alerts

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Consider Armadillo COVID

    Consider Armadillo COVID

    [ad_1]

    This past spring, Amanda Goldberg crouched in the leafy undergrowth of a southwestern Virginia forest and attempted to swab a mouse for COVID. No luck; its nose was too tiny for her tools. “You never think about nostrils until you start having to swab an animal,” Goldberg, a conservation biologist at Virginia Tech University, told me. Larger-nosed creatures that she and her team had trapped, such as raccoons and foxes, had no issue with nose swabs—but for mice, throat samples had to do. The swabs fit reasonably well into their mouths, she said, though they endured a fair bit of munching.

    Goldberg’s throat-swabbing endeavors were part of a study she and her colleagues devised to answer an unexplored question: How common is COVID in wildlife? Of the 333 forest animals her team swabbed around Blacksburg, Virginia, spanning 18 species, one—an opossum—tested positive. This was to be expected, Goldberg said; catching a wild animal that happened to have an active infection right when it was swabbed was like finding Waldo. But the researchers also collected blood samples, and those were more telling about whether the animals had experienced previous bouts with COVID. Analysis by the Molecular Diagnostics Lab and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech revealed antibodies across 24 animals spanning six species, including the opossum, the Eastern gray squirrel, and two types of mice. “Our minds were blown,” Goldberg said. “It was basically every species we sent” to the lab.

    That animals can get COVID is one of the earliest things we learned about the virus. Despite the endless debate over its origins, SARS-CoV-2 most likely jumped from an animal through an intermediate host to humans in Wuhan. Since then, it has since spread back to a range of animals. People have passed it to household pets, such as dogs and cats, and to a Disney movie’s worth of beasts, including lions, hippos, hyenas, tigers, mink, and hamsters. Three years into the pandemic, animals are still falling sick with COVID, just as we are. COVID is likely circulating more widely in animals than we are aware of, Edward Holmes, a biologist at the University of Sydney, told me. “In all my 30-plus years of doing work on this subject, I have never seen a virus that can infect so many animal species,” he said. More than 500 other mammal species are predicted to be highly susceptible to infection.

    Given that most people nowadays aren’t fretting too much about human-to-human spread, it makes sense that animal-to-human spread has largely been forgotten. But even when there are so many other pandemic concerns, animal COVID can’t be ignored. The consequences of sustained animal transmission are exactly the same as they are in people: The more COVID spreads, the more opportunities the virus has to evolve into new variants. What’s most alarming is the chance that one of those variants could spill back into humans. As we’ve known since the pandemic started, SARS-CoV-2 is not a human virus, but one that can infect multiple animals, including humans. As long as animals are still getting COVID, we’re not out of the doghouse either.

    Perhaps part of the reason COVID in animals has been overlooked—apart from the fact that they’re not people—is that most species don’t seem to get very sick. Animals that have gotten infected generally exhibit mild symptoms—typically some coughing and sluggishness, as in pumas and lions. But our research has gone only fur-deep. “We certainly can’t ask them, ‘Are you feeling headaches, or sluggish?’” said Goldberg, who worries about long-term or invisible symptoms going undiagnosed in species. And so animal COVID has lingered unchecked, increasing the chances that it could mean something bad for us.

    The good news is that the overall risk of getting COVID from animals is considered low, according to the CDC. This is partly explained by evolutionary theory, which predicts that most variants that emerge in an animal population will have adapted to become better at infecting the host animal—not us. But some of them, strictly by chance, “could be highly transmissible or virulent in humans,” Holmes said. “It’s an unpredictable process.” His concern is not that animals will start infecting people en masse—your neighbors are far likelier to do that than raccoons—but that in animals, SARS-CoV-2 could form new variants that can spill over into people. Some scientists believe that Omicron emerged this way in mice, though evidence remains scant.

    A troubling sign is that there’s already some evidence that COVID has made its way from humans to animals, where it mutated, and then made its way back into humans. Take white-tailed deer, by now a well-known COVID host. Every fall, hunters take to the golden meadows and reddening forests of southwestern Ontario to shoot the deer, giving researchers an opportunity to test some of the hunted animals for COVID. The species has been infected with the same variants circulating widely in humans—a handful of Staten Island deer caught Omicron last winter, for example—which suggests that people are infecting them. How the deer get infected still isn’t clear: Extended face time with humans, nosing around in trash, or slurping up our wastewater are all possibilities.

    The researchers in Canada found not only that some of the animals tested positive, but also that the variant they carried had never before been seen in humans, indicating that the virus had been spreading and mutating within the population for a long time, Brad Pickering, a research scientist for the Canadian government who studied the deer, told me. In fact, the new variant is among the most evolutionarily divergent ones identified so far. But despite its differences, it appeared to have infected at least one person who had interacted with deer the week before falling ill. “We can’t make a direct link between them,” Pickering said, but the fact that such a highly diverged deer variant was detected in a human is very suggestive of how that person got sick.

    This research adds to the small but growing body of evidence that the COVID we spread to animals could come back to bite us. Fortunately, this particular spillback does not appear to have had serious consequences for humans; rogue deer variants don’t seem to be circulating in southern Canada. But this is not the sole documented instance of animal-to-human spread: People have been infected by mink in the Netherlands, hamsters in Hong Kong, and a cat in Thailand. Other spillbacks have probably occurred and gone unnoticed. So far, no data show that the animal variants that have spread to humans are more dangerous for us. Even if a potential animal variant isn’t the next Omicron, it could still be better at dodging our existing treatments and vaccines, Pickering said.

    But there is also, frankly, a lack of data. Local wildlife-surveillance efforts led by researchers like Goldberg and Pickering are ongoing, but they do not exist in most countries, Holmes said. An international database of known animal infections, maintained by Complexity Science Hub Vienna, is a promising start. An interactive map shows the locations of previously infected animals, including large hairy armadillos (Argentina), manatees (Brazil), and cats (everywhere). At the very least, with animal COVID, “we need to know what species it’s in, in what abundance, and genetically, what those variants look like,” Holmes said. “It’s absolutely critical to know where [the virus] is going.” Without this, there is no way of knowing how often spillback occurs and whether it puts humans at risk. And we can’t tell whether new COVID variants are also putting animals in danger, Goldberg said; a devastating Omicron-like variant could emerge in their populations too.

    The steps we need to take to mitigate the animal-COVID problem—and prevent other zoonotic diseases from jumping into humans—are clear, even if they don’t seem to be happening. Eliminating wet markets where wild animals are sold is an obvious preventive measure, but it has been difficult to implement because the livelihoods and diets of many people, especially in the global South, depend on them. As climate change and land development decimate even more habitats, wildlife will be forced into ever-closer quarters with us, fostering an even more efficient exchange of viruses between species. Unlike mask wearing and other straightforward options for curbing the human spread of COVID, preventing its transmission to, from, and among animals will require major upheavals to the way our societies run, likely far greater than we are willing to commit to.

    Humans tend to act like COVID ends up afflicting us after traveling through a long chain of species. But to think so is like living in the Middle Ages, Holmes said, when the Earth was considered the center of the universe. As we learned then, we are not that important: Humans are but a node in an immense network of species that viruses move through in many directions. Just as animal viruses infect us, human viruses can spread to animals (measles, for example, kills a variety of great apes). There are definitely bigger problems than animal COVID—no one needs to hunker down for fear of sneezing deer—but as long as animals keep getting infected, we can’t overlook what that means for us. Paying attention to animal COVID often starts with a single swab—and a snout to stick it in.

    [ad_2]

    Yasmin Tayag

    Source link