Four stories that have the North State talking: Dozens of wildfires rage in California, destroying homes and prompting evacuations; man arrested for bringing loaded gun into Chico movie theater; lone gray wolf caught on camera in Siskiyou County; and more.
The ferocious fire season feared in drought-stricken California is upon us. Already this year, Cal Fire has responded to more than 4,200 wildfires, which is about 1,500 more wildfires than the average for the same time period, according to a statewide summary updated this morning.
Currently, more than 10,000 firefighters are battling 22 active fires in the state.
The largest, the Rocky Fire, has burned 65,000 acres in Lake, Yolo, and Colusa Counties and is 12 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. Twenty-four residences have been destroyed in the fire, and many more are still threatened. Mandatory evacuations are in place.
Perimeter map of the 65,000 acre #RockyFire in northern California. 3145 firefighters have been able to contain 12%. pic.twitter.com/YnyHGt9fm1
— Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) August 4, 2015
Struggle to contain 20 wildfires across California as 13,000 people evacuated http://t.co/KiPYcUW8PS #RockyFire pic.twitter.com/SFG5Ds57jc"
— Segun Ijifisayo (@IjiSegun) August 4, 2015
View our morning fire report for more information on the other active fires in the North State and beyond.
Other stories:
- A man was arrested for bringing a loaded gun into a Chico movie theater on Monday. Police were called to the Tinseltown movie theater on East Avenue after staff there reported a man was acting strangely, according to KRCR. Reports say it was the second day in a row the man had been at the theater, and that staff had found a bullet on the man’s seat after he left the theater on Sunday. When police contacted the man on Monday, they found a loaded pistol inside of his backpack. Daniel Darrington, 29, was arrested on charges of illegal possession of a concealed loaded firearm. [KRCR] This incident comes nearly two weeks after a deadly movie theater shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana.
- A gray wolf may have been caught on camera in Siskiyou County. State wildlife officials say a trail camera in southeastern Siskiyou County has captured an image of what appears to be a lone gray wolf. The Sacramento Bee reports: “State officials say they strongly suspect a new wild wolf is roaming Siskiyou County, more than a year after OR-7, California’s famous wandering wolf, headed back to Oregon. OR-7’s arrival to California in late 2011 – the first confirmed wolf sighting in California since 1924 – spurred state officials to add endangered species protections for wolves, a move cheered by wolf-restoration advocates and condemned by some deer and elk hunters and livestock producers.” [The Sacramento Bee] Trail cam photo below:
- You can now pick peaches at Chico State’s University Farm. The annual U-Pick Peaches event began Monday and will continue until the fruit is gone, which often happens within a week, according to the Chico Enterprise-Record. Hours are 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays and the price is $1.50 per pound, cash or check only. The farm is located at 311 Nicholas C. Schouten Lane off Hegan Lane in Chico. To get an updated status report on the peaches, call the farm’s Peach Hotline at 530-898-4989.