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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 25 July 2022
Crews protect homes as California fire burns near Yosemite

Associated Press ing our way really quickly,"
JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP) Reynolds-Brown told KCRA-
— A destructive wildfire TV.
near Yosemite National Gov. Gavin Newsom pro-
Park burned out of control claimed a state of emer-
through tinder-dry forest gency for Mariposa County
on Sunday and had grown due to the fire's effects.
into one of California's big- Flames destroyed at least
gest blazes of the year, 10 residential and commer-
forcing thousands of resi- cial structures and dam-
dents to flee remote moun- aged five others, Cal Fire
tain communities. said. Assessment teams
Some 2,000 firefighters bat- were moving through
tled the Oak Fire, along with mountain towns to check
aircraft and bulldozers, fac- for additional damage,
ing tough conditions that Fouts said.
includes steep terrain, swel- Numerous roads were
tering temperatures and closed, including a stretch
low humidity, according to of State Route 140 that's
the California Department one of the main routes into
of Forestry and Fire Protec- Yosemite.
tion, or Cal Fire. California has experienced
"It's hot out there again to- The Oak Fire burns behind a scorched pickup truck in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa increasingly larger and
day," Cal Fire spokesperson County, Calif., early Sunday, July 24, 2022. deadlier wildfires in recent
Natasha Fouts said Sunday. Associated Press years as climate change
"And the fuel moisture lev- has made the West much
els are critically low." said. of forest land, with no con- "We urge people to evacu- warmer and drier over
Crews on the ground pro- The fire erupted Friday tainment, Cal Fire said. The ate when told," she said. the past 30 years. Scien-
tected homes as air tankers southwest of the park near cause was under investiga- "This fire is moving very fast." tists have said weather will
dropped retardant on 50- the town of Midpines in tion. Lynda Reynolds-Brown and continue to be more ex-
foot (15-meter) flames rac- Mariposa County. Offi- Evacuations were in place her husband Aubrey await- treme and wildfires more
ing along ridgetops east of cials described "explosive for over 6,000 people living ed news about the fate of frequent, destructive and
the tiny community of Jer- fire behavior" on Satur- across a several-mile span their home from an evacu- unpredictable.
seydale. day as flames made runs of the sparsely populated ation center at an elemen- Pacific Gas & Electric said
Light winds blew embers through bone-dry vegeta- area in the Sierra Nevada tary school. They fled as ash on its website that more
ahead into tree branches tion caused by the worst foothills, though a hand- rained down and the fire than 3,100 homes and busi-
"and because it's so dry, it's drought in decades. ful of residents defied the descended a hill towards nesses in the area had lost
easy for the spot fires to get By Sunday the blaze had orders and stayed behind, their property. power as of Sunday and
established and that's what consumed more than 22 said Adrienne Freeman "It just seemed like it was there was no indication
fuels the growth," Fouts square miles (56 square km) with the U.S. Forest Service. above our house and com- when it would be restored.

Investigators: Attacker 'did not know who' Zeldin was

single count of assaulting a other Republicans who the town of Perinton to ask
member of Congress with held it up as an example the speaker if he was disre-
a dangerous weapon. The of the need to reform New specting veterans.
charge carries a potential York's bail laws, something Jakubonis "did not know
maximum penalty of 10 Zeldin has called on Demo- who the speaker was or that
years in prison. cratic Gov. Kathy Hochul the speaker was a political
He was ordered held until a to toughen. person," according to the
bail hearing in federal court A 2019 bail reform law in complaint. The complaint
Wednesday. Prosecutors New York eliminated pretri- added that when Jakubo-
said he should remain de- al incarceration for people nis watched video of Thurs-
tained as a flight risk and is accused of most nonvio- day evening's incident he
dangerous, according to lent offenses. The law gives told investigators he "must
In this image taken from video provided by WHEC-TV, David a court filing. Assistant fed- judges the option to set bail have checked out" and
Jakubonis, left, is subdued as he brandishes a sharp object dur- eral public defender Ste- in nearly all cases involving that what was depicted in
ing an attack U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, right, as the Republican can-
didate for New York governor delivered a speech in Perinton, ven Slawinski, representing violent felonies, but it has the video was disgusting.
N.Y., Thursday, July 21, 2022. Jakubonis, said in an email exceptions for certain at- According to video of the
Associated Press to The Associated Press tempted felonies like at- attack, Jakubonis raised
that he planned to ask the tempted assault. his arm toward Zeldin as he
By DAVID PORTER who the congressman was, judge to release Jakubonis The federal criminal com- held a keychain with two
Associated Press authorities said as the man from custody. plaint filed Saturday al- sharp points. The congress-
A man accused of at- was arrested on a federal Jakubonis was arraigned leged Jakubonis, an Iraq man from Long Island then
tacking New York GOP assault charge Saturday. Friday on a separate state War veteran, told inves- grabbed Jakubonis' wrist
gubernatorial candidate David Jakubonis, 43, made charge of attempted as- tigators he was drinking and the two tussled to the
Lee Zeldin during a recent an initial court appear- sault in the second degree whiskey on Thursday be- ground as others jumped
campaign rally told inves- ance Saturday before a and was released by a lo- fore he went onstage as in to help. Zeldin, who also
tigators he'd been drinking federal magistrate judge in cal judge. That prompted Zeldin addressed a Veter- served in the military, suf-
that day and didn't know Rochester, New York, on a criticism from Zeldin and ans of Foreign Wars post in fered a minor scrape.q