Thousands face evacuation from homes as California wildfires continue to rage
Nearly 43,000 Californians are under evacuation orders as a dozen large wildfires continue to rage across the state.
The wildfires have already destroyed hundreds of homes and more than 500 households are in shelters, Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Office of Emergency Services, said.
Governor Gavin Newsom has requested a presidential major disaster declaration for eight counties, Mr Ghilarducci said.
The Dixie fire has been burning in California for weeks. Pic: AP
The declaration would provide housing, food aid, unemployment and governmental emergency costs if approved, he added.
There were also concerns about the Caldor Fire southwest of Lake Tahoe, which has destroyed more than 166 sq miles (430 sq km) of El Dorado National Forest and at least 447 buildings, leaving more than 17,000 structures under threat.
Two police officers were in a critical condition after a head-on collision as they headed to the Caldor Fire, Mr Ghilarducci said.
The blaze is just 5% contained and has become the nation’s number one priority for firefighting resources, said chief Thom Porter, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
He said: “It is knocking on the door to the Lake Tahoe basin.
“We have all efforts in place to keep it out of the basin but we do need to also be aware that is a possibility based on the way the fires have been burning.”
Governor Gavin Newsom has requested a presidential major disaster declaration for eight countries. Pic: AP
More than 13,500 firefighters have been deployed across the state to tackle the blazes.
To the north, the Dixie Fire was 40% contained, but it has burned more than 1,130 sq miles (2,926 sq km) in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades.
It has destroyed 1,259 buildings, including 78 single-family homes, Cal Fire said. Nearly 13,000 structures were under threat.
The Dixie Fire has burned more than 1,130 sq miles in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades. Pic: AP
In Nevada, nearly 67,000 students were affected as public schools in the Reno and Sparks area and parts of Lake Tahoe were closed on Monday due to wildfire smoke.
The Dixie Fire has destroyed 1,259 buildings, including 78 homes. Pic: AP
Most of the fires are burning in Northern California, where a seven-day outlook warned of moderate fire danger.
But in Southern California, moist ocean air has been keeping temperatures cooler than normal.
A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire in Genesee, California, 21 August. Pic: AP
Mr Porter said it meant there was low potential for new fires in Southern California, allowing for resources to be surged to the north.
Most of the fires are burning in Northern California, where a seven-day outlook warned of moderate fire danger. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, Los Angeles officials have warned residents to be aware of what is going on to the north because the region’s high fire season typically comes late in the year.
“That awareness is going to help us when it happens here in Southern California,” Los Angeles Fire chief Ralph Terrazas said.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.
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Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine
Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.
At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.
The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters
He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.
Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.
The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.
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The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.
Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.
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