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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 8 sepTember 2020
The Summer of COVID-19 ends with health officials worried

By JEFFREY COLLINS than 6.2 million cases, ac-
Associated Press cording to the count kept
The Lost Summer of 2020 by Johns Hopkins University.
drew to a close Mon- Deaths from the virus more
day with many big Labor than doubled over the
Day gatherings canceled summer to nearly 190,000.
across the U.S. and health In New Orleans, which
authorities pleading with had one of the largest out-
people to keep their dis- breaks outside of New York
tance from others so as not City this spring, city officials
to cause another corona- reminded residents that
virus surge like the one that COVID-19 doesn't take a
followed Memorial Day. holiday after they received
Downtown Atlanta was qui- 36 calls about large gath-
et as the 85,000 or so peo- erings and 46 calls about
ple who come dressed as businesses not following
their favorite superheroes safety rules on Friday and
or sci-fi characters for the Saturday. In South Caro-
annual Dragon Con con- lina, which was a hot spot
vention met online instead. of contagion over the sum-
Huge football stadiums at mer before cases started
places like Ohio State and to decline in early August,
the University of Texas sat 8,000 fans, including Gov.
empty. Many Labor Day A jet skier passes a patriotic shanty-boat owned by AJ Crea on Pontoosuc Lake on Labor Day in Henry McMaster, were al-
parades marking the unof- Pittsfield, Mass., Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. Associated Press lowed to attend the NAS-
ficial end of summer were CAR race at the Darlington
called off, and masks were we all made on Memorial director in Orange County, cases around Memorial Raceway on Sunday. State
usually required at the few Day weekend. Wear your Florida, which includes the Day, before backyard par- officials approved a social-
that went on. masks, watch your distance Orlando area. ties and other gatherings ly distant attendance plan
"Please, please do not and wash your hands," said The U.S. had about 1.6 mil- contributed to a summer- at the track, which can
make the same mistakes Dr. Raul Pino, state health lion confirmed COVID-19 time surge. It now has more hold 47,000 people.q
California sets record with 2M acres burned so far this year

Creek Fire has charred prompting evacuations didn't curtail their electric-
more than 114 square miles near the remote commu- ity usage. None have yet to
(295 square kilometers) of nity of Alpine. occur.
timber after breaking out Daytime temperatures in The weather forecast
Friday. The 850 firefighters fire zones neared or ex- called for more heat Mon-
on the scene had yet to ceeded triple digits. Down- day and the grid opera-
get any containment. town Los Angeles reached tors again urged people
On Saturday, rescuers in 111 degrees (44 Celsius) on to conserve power. Cooler
military helicopters airlifted Sunday and a record-shat- temperatures were ex-
207 people to safety after tering high of 121 degrees pected Tuesday but the
flames trapped them in a (49.4 Celsius) was recorded weather change also was
wooded camping area in the nearby Woodland expected to bring winds
northeast of Fresno. Hills neighborhood of the that could fan wildfires.
In Southern California, San Fernando Valley. It was Pacific Gas & Electric, the
crews scrambled to douse the highest temperature state's largest utility serving
Plumes of smoke rise into the sky as a wildfire burns on the hills several fires that roared ever recorded in Los Ange- customers in Central and
near Shaver Lake, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. to life in searing tempera- les County, according to Northern California, warned
Associated Press tures, including one that the National Weather Serv- customers that it might cut
Continued from Front astation of this community. closed mountain roads in ice. power starting Tuesday be-
And it is a very close-knit Angeles National Forest. Meanwhile, downtown San cause of the increased fire
Mountain roads were filled community." Cal Fire said a blaze in San Francisco set a record for danger. Some of the state's
with cars and trucks leav- An elementary school, Bernardino County called the day with a high of 100 largest and deadliest fires
ing the town of about 2,300 church, library, historic the El Dorado Fire started (37.7 Celsius) on Sunday, in recent years have been
people. general store and a major Saturday morning and was smashing the previous mark sparked by downed power
Firefighters working in steep hydroelectric plant were caused by a smoke-gener- by 5 degrees. lines and other utility equip-
terrain saved the tiny town spared in the community ating pyrotechnic device The exceptionally hot tem- ment.
of Shaver Lake from flames of about 200 residents, Wait used by a couple to reveal peratures were driving Cal Fire said 14,800 firefight-
that roared down hillsides told the Fresno Bee. their baby's gender. the highest power use of ers were battling 23 major
toward a marina. About 30 Sheriff's deputies went A fire in the Angeles Nation- the year, and transmission fires in the state. California
houses were destroyed in door to door to make sure al Forest forced the evacu- losses because of wildfires has seen 900 wildfires since
the remote hamlet of Big residents were complying ation of Mount Wilson Ob- have cut into supplies. The Aug. 15, many of them
Creek. with orders to leave. Offi- servatory. California Independent started by an intense se-
"About half the private cials hoped to keep the fire In eastern San Diego Coun- System Operator that man- ries of thousands of light-
homes in town burned from pushing west, possibly ty, a fire destroyed at least ages the state's power grid ning strikes. There have
down," resident Toby Wait toward Yosemite National 10 structures after burn- warned that up to 3 million been eight fire deaths and
said. "Words cannot even Park. ing 16 square miles (41.44 people could lose power more than 3,300 structures
begin to describe the dev- The blaze dubbed the square kilometers) and Sunday if the if residents destroyed.q