California rocked by 5.3-magnitude earthquake centered near Bakersfield
(NEW YORK) — Kern County was hit by a 5.3-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday night, centered in Lamont, California, not far from Bakersfield, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The 5.3 earthquake hit at 9:09 p.m. PT and was followed by several aftershocks.
The Earthquake was felt across Los Angeles and down into Orange County.
More than a dozen aftershocks took place following the main quake, including one measuring 4.5-magnitude, and another one at 4.1, both located in the same area as the main quake.
There continue to be tremors in the Grapevine area, which is between Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, and Kern County, the USGS reported.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office told KABC7 Los Angeles there were no reports of damage in LA County so far. The LA Fire Department, however, is in earthquake mode.
(NEW YORK) — Three major wildfires were raging across Southern California Tuesday, threatening thousands of homes as firefighters and the state National Guard were battling to bring the flames under control amid a triple-digit heatwave, officials said.
The Line Fire in San Bernardino County, the Airport Fire in Orange County and the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles County are all being fueled by extremely dry vegetation and spreading rapidly, officials said.
The Line Fire
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Line Fire was threatening 65,600 structures, including homes and commercial properties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire).
Fire crews achieved 5% containment on the blaze on Monday night as Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed the state National Guard to support the ongoing response to extinguish the blaze.
While evacuation orders were issued for 9,200 structures in the area, with another 56,400 structures under evacuation warnings, Cal Fire said no buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
“We’re pouring resources into this incident aggressively by deploying more air and ground support through the California National Guard,” Newsom said in a statement. “This is on top of nearly 2,000 firefighters, nearly 200 engines, and air assets we already have tackling this fire. California stands with these communities and has their backs.”
Newsom said the California National Guard will support the ongoing response to the Line Fire, the cause of which remains under investigation. Eighty troops split into four 20-person teams and one military police company have been sent to the fire scene to assist the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department with traffic control in evacuated areas.
National Guard troops are also helping firefighters battle the flames. Four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters for water bucket dropping operations and two C-130 aircraft with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems are among the resources deployed by the National Guard, Newsom said.
The fire, which ignited Sept. 5, is burning in steep and rugged terrain, making access difficult, Cal Fire said. Firefighters are working to build “control lines” to contain the blaze.
“Stronger winds are predicted Tuesday which could help fire spread and contribute to longer range spotting. Mid-week cooling may moderate fire activity and increase fuel moistures,” Cal Fire said.
The Airport Fire
Another major fire in Southern California broke out Monday afternoon in an unincorporated area of Orange County, prompting the evacuations of 1,427 homes, according to Cal Fire. The fast-moving Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon in the hills southeast of Irvine had burned 9,333 acres by Tuesday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.
The fire was 0% contained Tuesday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.
Two firefighters battling the blaze were hospitalized with heat-related injuries and one civilian suffering from smoke inhalation was also treated at a hospital, Cal Fire said. The Fire was burning in the direction of the Cleveland National Forest.
At least four people, including a couple and their 3-year-old child who were hiking on a trail in the area, had to be airlifted to safety, officials said. A man and his cats were airlifted to safety from their home, officials said.
Several emergency communication towers on Santiago Peak in the fire zone, as well as towers operated by local broadcasting stations, were being threatened by the fire, officials said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no structures had been destroyed or damaged, according to Cal Fire.
The Airport Fire began around 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday, sparked by county public works crews working on a fire prevention project by trying to move boulders to prevent public access — mostly by motorcyclists — to an area of the canyon with a lot of dry vegetation that could ignite easily, officials told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.
“The fire has been classified as unintentional,” said Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern.
At least 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze Tuesday.
The Bridge Fire
Elsewhere, the Bridge Fire, which started on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles Country, had burned 4,178 acres as of Tuesday afternoon. The fire north of Azusa in the Angeles National Forest was 0% contained.
Evacuation orders are in place for a mobile home park, campgrounds and a small river community.
(COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont.) — A search is underway for a climber who has been missing in Montana’s Glacier National Park since Sunday evening.
Grant Marcuccio, a 32-year-old from Whitefish, Montana, separated from his party while hiking from Heavens Peak to McPartland Peak, according to the National Park Service.
Marcuccio was last seen heading toward McPartland Peak at about noon on Sunday, but he did not arrive at the meet-up point as planned, the park service said.
Park rangers were told he was missing on Sunday night.
Search planes have flown over the region searching for Marcuccio on Monday and Tuesday, with rangers searching on the ground Tuesday. Helicopters also flew over the area on Wednesday, park officials said.
Marcuccio is described as 6 feet tall with brown hair and brown eyes, weighing about 175 pounds. He may be wearing brown shorts and a brown and white checkered shirt, officials said.
(PORTLAND, Ore.) — A small, twin-engine plane crashed into a residential neighborhood Saturday in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, killing two people aboard the aircraft and one on the ground, authorities said Sunday.
The Cessna 421C plane slammed into a row of townhouses near Heartwood Circle in Fairview after experiencing mechanical issues, according to a statement from the Gresham Fire Department.
Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis confirmed Sunday that the pilot of the aircraft and a single passenger were killed, as well as a resident of one of the townhouses the plane crashed into.
The names of those killed were not released.
The plane crashed near Troutdale Airport around 10:20 a.m. local time, hitting a power pole or tower, which caused a brush fire. The aircraft then crashed into a building of connected townhomes, igniting a fire in two structures, before spreading to a fourth, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference Saturday.
At least five families have been displaced, with a sixth condo currently being evaluated, according to Lewis.
Two transmission lines from Portland General Electric remained down Saturday afternoon, according to officials.
Fairview is about 15 miles northeast of Portland.
Debris from the crash is scattered across multiple areas, and the sheriff’s office is securing the scene to assist the FAA investigation.
Photos show thick smoke and a burning home after the plane crashed.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.