As Firefighters Battle Dozens Of Blazes, California’s Bobcat Fire Nears 100,000 Acres

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A firefighter works to put out flames of the Bobcat Fire in Juniper Hills, Calif. As of Sunday, the wildfire has grown to more than 99,000 acres and is 15% contained.

Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

National
Haze Spreads Across U.S. As Wildfires Continue To Tear Through The West

Officials at the Angeles National Forest, where the Bobcat Fire originated, said in a tweet on Sunday that «active fire behavior continues near the San Gabriel Wilderness Area.

The San Gabriel Mountains include Mount Wilson, where an observatory by the same name houses some of the most historically important telescopes in the world. The fire came within 500 feet of the observatory last week before crews fended it off.

Forest Service officials said that responders took steps to secure the area around Mt. Wilson on Saturday night, and are looking for ways to secure the line between the mountain and the nearby highway before weather conditions worsen.

«Brief critical fire weather conditions expected today and Monday across the #BobcatFire due to gusty onshore winds and low humidities, the National Weather Service tweeted. «This will likely bring additional fire growth and extreme fire behavior at times.

The fire’s estimated containment date is Oct. 3o.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, roughly 85% of the country’s wildland firefighters are working in California, Oregon and Washington.

In Oregon, the state’s forestry department officials said on Sunday they are «closely monitoring 10 major wildfires, down from 17.

Here's a quick rundown of major fires burning in Oregon. Our Wildfire Blog has daily updates from all of these fires. https://t.co/nujAtltmMo pic.twitter.com/Nm3XlXU8Cc

— Oregon Forestry (@ORDeptForestry) September 20, 2020

The largest of those, the Lionshead Fire, has burned 198,231 acres and is 10% contained.

Officials said roughly 1 million acres have burned in Oregon since the start of the year, nearly double the 10-year average.

A recent turn toward rainy weather has helped with containment efforts in Oregon.

Doug Grafe, the chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry, said in a Saturday video briefing that weekend rain, cooler temperatures during the day and decent humidity at night make for «favorable fire-fighting conditions, and a potential storm front this coming week could provide additional relief.

«Overall, a very good spot for us to be in and folks are making great progress statewide, Grafe said.

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The National Interagency Fire Center said on Sunday that no new or contained large fires were reported across the country, and firefighters «continue to make headway towards their suppression goals.

Its latest data show 22 large wildfires burning in California, 14 in Idaho, 12 in Oregon and eight in Washington, as well as several each in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.