As of Tuesday, one of Northern California’s wildfires, which began last week as a result of mountain thunderstorms, had spread to span more than 13,000 acres, posing a threat to a vast network of marijuana plantations in the area.
The Lava Fire, which is burning brush and timber in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, has grown from 1,446 acres on Monday to 13,300 acres on Tuesday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Firefighters have the blaze 19 percent contained.
Two additional fires in the vicinity, the Tennant Fire and the Beswick Fire, are not as significant but have caused a red flag warning and evacuations.
The U.S. Forest Service for Shasta-Trinity said on Facebook early Wednesday that the Tenant Fire was located about 25 miles away from the Lava Fire, and by Tuesday afternoon had already burned 6,000 acres.
By Tuesday evening, the state fire agency said on Twitter that the Beswick Fire, covering about 118 acres, had been 60 percent contained.
Wildfires have erupted uncharacteristically early due to the severe heat on the West Coast and dry conditions, with many officials and experts predicting that 2021 will be the worst fire season yet.
Governments all around the West Coast have started committing enormous sums of money to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season, including Newsom’s requested $2 billion in disaster preparedness spending.
Gov. Jay Inslee (D) of Washington signed a bill committing $125 million every biennium for the next two decades to fire relief and mitigation, while Oregon state senators are working on a $220 million wildlife protection proposal for Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon (D).
