VIDEOS: 7 adults, 5 children displaced after fire rips through homes in Oakland, officials say

Two buildings were damaged after a fire broke out in Oakland on Tuesday afternoon. More than 30 firefighters responded to the intersection of East 8th Street and 6th Avenue. SKY7 was over the scene where flames could be seen coming out of one home and spreading to another. As bad as the fire looked, Oakland fire officials say no one was injured. However, officials say one of the buildings was a multi-unit apartment building and the other was a home. Red Cross is helping seven adults and five children that were displaced by the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
KGO-TV ABC 7 San Francisco

Merced County supervisors vote to close 2 fire stations, merge others

The Merced County Board of Supervisors has voted to close two of the community's CAL FIRE fire stations. In addition to the closures, some of the other fire stations will be consolidated. McKee Fire Station 85 will close on October 1, 2024. Stations 81 in Merced and 86 in Planada will now cover the service areas. Station 92 in Ballico and Station 64 in Cressey will merge to the Ballico location, while Cressey will be repurposed as a volunteer-only station. Station 96 in Livingston will also close on October 1, 2024. The staff will be sent to different locations. Station 92 in Ballico, Station 91 in Delhi and Station 95 in Hilmar will cover the areas impacted. Station 76 in Dos Palos and Station 75 in Dos Palos Wye will also merge to the Wye location.
KFSN-TV ABC 30 Fresno

Swift-Moving Brush Fire Blazes Near Cabazon In Riverside County; 36 Acres Burn

A huge plume of smoke rose from a Cabazon wildfire that burned through at least 36 acres Tuesday. Just after 2 p.m., Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department firefighters arrived at the fast-moving brush fire near Magnolia Street and Bonita Avenue. There were no evacuations as a result of the brusher. Wildland firefighters, bulldozers, water trucks, and air tankers also arrived at the scene to battle the blaze, which rapidly spread through vegetation pushed by steady wind, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Tawny Castro. All aircraft were called from the scene before 4 p.m. as firefighters made progress in containing the blaze. Firefighters would remain in the area conducting mop-up operations on the ground for several more hours.
Banning-Beaumont Patch

2 San Jose middle school students hospitalized with breathing difficulties after firefighters respond

The San Jose Fire Department said they were called to Sunrise Middle School on Wednesday morning after they received "reports of multiple patients with difficulty breathing." Battalion Chief Robert Culbertson said that crews got a 911 call at 9 a.m. about eight students who smelled something that made them ill. Two children were transported to the hospital, officials said, and another six students will be picked up by their parents. A total of 25 firefighters responded and hazmat crews came in to take air samples from the rear of a particular classroom, Culberton said. Crews are testing various cleaning products as well. The area is isolated, Culbertson said, and the school remains open.
KTVU-TV FOX 2 Oakland

Camp Fire survivor has a message for everyone as California’s wildfire season nears

VIDEO: As the rainy season comes to a close and drier, warmer weather takes hold, the signs of California’s wildfire season will start to show. When a wildfire sparks, everything can change in a matter of minutes, but the work you put in before a fire can help protect their home if one strikes. That work has been part of Gary Ledbetter's mission since the deadly 2018 Camp Fire burned down his house and the place he called home. He and his wife survived the fire, but they lost two of their neighbors. "The fear factor of seeing the flames at a silly aggressive rate racing toward us... We didn't have a 'go bag.' We didn't prepare for that, so it was this on the fly, 'How do we do this?' 'Where do we go?'" said Ledbetter. He’s been stressing the need for homeowners and families to be prepared for the possibility of wildfire.
KXTV ABC 10 Sacramento

Rural Sacramento County fire district improves fire protection rating

Residents within the River Delta Fire District will be happy to hear that their property insurance may see a decrease as the fire district recently improved its fire protection rating from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), according to the fire district. On Sunday, the fire district announced they have improved from a Class-5 fire protection rating to a Class-4. The ranking is from one to 10 with a one being the best and 10 being the worst. “What an amazing accomplishment for our Fire District and our entire community,” said Fire District Board President Les Wolfson. “This is a true testament to the level of commitment in providing excellent service to our residents.” The improved rating follows an independent investigation by ISO into the structural fire suppression delivery system of the River Delta Fire District.
KNTV NBC 11 San Jose

Santa Barbara County homeowners fund their own fire prevention efforts using an aggressive team of goats in a volatile canyon

VIDEO: Homeowners in the Eucalyptus Hill Improvement Association (EHIA) have brought in a herd of goats to begin reducing the fire dangers in a canyon that could be explosive in a wildland fire. The EHIA said its 700 members want to get ahead of the wildfire dangers this year as they have before, in this very rugged area. If humans were in there, they would have to contend with poison oak and steep hills to remove the weeds and brush. Nearby homeowners are also chipping away fire fuels including small trees and overgrowth to create a defensible space if a fire should break out or spread in the area. The goats are from the Ventura Brush Goat company that specializes in this kind of work. The area should be trimmed down within a week with the constant cycle of eating by the goats of all sizes.
KEYT-TV ABC 3 Santa Barbara