TV News LIES

Multiple wildfires have ignited across California as the state continues to scorch in a multi-day heatwave that is expected to last through the weekend.

The largest this week, named the Pickett fire, exploded in size on Thursday as it burned in a remote area of Napa county, and covered more than 3,200 acres (850 hectares) by Friday afternoon. Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued on Thursday for hundreds of residents around Calistoga, a small city in the region known for its wine, as firefighters faced challenging conditions, working through dangerously high temperatures and rugged terrain. The fire’s perimeter is just 5% contained.

“Firefighter safety will be an emphasis once again Friday, with temperatures expected to reach into the upper 90s,” analysts with the state fire agency known as CalFire wrote in an update issued on Friday.

Bob Todeschini, the battalion chief on the Pickett fire, said there had been no injuries or structures damaged, in a video shared on social media on Thursday night. “We’d like to remind everyone to be vigilant and have a plan as we continue with suppression efforts,” he said.

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North Carolina's Outer Banks are already feeling the impact of Hurricane Erin as the storm moves north, hundreds of miles off of the East Coast.

Parts of Highway 12, the main highway through the Outer Banks, were already being flooded by Wednesday afternoon. And the window to evacuate has now closed for vulnerable areas, as officials warn that the evening's high tides will bring some of the storm's biggest impacts. Those remaining should shelter in place, they said.

Mandatory evacuations are in place for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.

The massive storm was roughly 295 miles from Cape Hatteras, N.C., as of 5 p.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center. The National Weather Service office in Newport/Morehead City called it a "large and dangerous hurricane."

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Newly installed river barriers held back record levels of flooding and prevented widespread damage in Alaska’s capital city on Wednesday, after an ice dam at the nearby Mendenhall Glacier released a huge surge of rainwater and snowmelt, officials said.

Water pooled on several streets and in some yards in Juneau after the Mendenhall River crested earlier in the day, and high water was expected to persist for hours. But many residents in the flood zone had evacuated before peak water levels, and there were no damage reports similar to the past two summers, when about 300 homes were flooded.

The temporary barriers “really have protected our community”, Juneau city manager Katie Koester told a news conference. “If it weren’t for them, we would have hundreds and hundreds of flooded homes.”

On Tuesday morning, authorities confirmed that water had started escaping the ice dam, with flooding expected into Wednesday. Some Juneau residents in the flood zone had already evacuated as officials intensified their warnings on Tuesday, saying: “Don’t wait, Evacuate TONIGHT.”

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A Colorado prison was evacuated as one of the largest wildfires in state history continued to grow, and officials warned residents of remote areas to be ready to leave on Sunday as gusty winds and low humidity fed the flames.

Evacuation orders were already in place for mountain communities as the Lee fire charred more than 167 sq miles (433 sq km) across Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, with just 6% containment. No injuries or structural damage has been reported.

All 179 incarcerated people were safely removed from the Rifle Correctional Center on Saturday “out of an abundance of caution”, the Colorado department of corrections said in a statement. They were temporarily relocated about 150 miles (240km) away to the Buena Vista correctional complex, the department said.

The Lee fire, churning through trees and brush about 250 miles (400km) west of Denver, is now the sixth-largest single fire in the state’s history, according to the Colorado division of fire prevention and control.

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A huge wildfire in central California has threatened hundreds of homes, with blazes churning through the brush-covered hillsides in Los Padres national forest.

At least three people were reported injured, and more than 450 structures were under threat by the Gifford fire, officials said on Monday.

The fire had scorched more than 72,000 acres (29,000 hectares)as of Monday evening, after the blaze grew out of several smaller fires that erupted Friday along State Route 166 between Santa Maria and Bakersfield.

The fire was burning along coastal Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, north of Los Angeles.

By Monday night, the fire was considered 5% contained, according to the CalFire state agency. Officials had earlier cautioned residents conditions could rapidly change due to erratic fire behavior. Hotter and drier weather in the forecast is expected to “facilitate rapid and sustained fire growth”, according to an incident report issued on Monday.

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Hazy skies hung over parts of the midwest and northeastern U.S. on Sunday, caused by smoke drifting across the border from hundreds of wildfires in Canada.

Canada is experiencing its second worst wildfire season on record, according to government data, with almost 4,000 fires recorded already this calendar year.

Smoke coming across the border has affected air quality in several U.S. states. This weekend, air quality reached concerning levels across Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. Parts of Illinois and Indiana are also under air quality alerts. People in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are also being advised to limit outdoor activity due to pollution from the smoke.

National Weather Service Lead Forecaster Bob Oravec told NPR that the current wind patterns are once again driving the spread of polluted air into the U.S. from Canada.

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