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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 3 OctOber 2020
California milestone: 4 million acres burned in wildfires

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ of the most devastating
Associated Press blazes.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Numerous studies have
California is poised to hit a linked bigger wildfires in
fearsome milestone: 4 mil- America to climate change
lion acres (1.6 million hect- from the burning of coal, oil
ares) burned this year by and gas. Scientists say cli-
wildfires that have killed 31 mate change has made
people and incinerated California much drier,
hundreds of homes in what meaning trees and other
is already the worst fire sea- plants are more flamma-
son on record. ble. Cal Fire Deputy Chief
Flames have scorched Jonathan Cox said wildfires
an area larger than Con- have scorched 3.9 million
necticut and fire crews at acres in California since
a blaze in the wine country Aug. 15. That figure, which
north of San Francisco were works out to more than
on high alert Friday as fore- 6,000 square miles (15,500
casters warned of rextreme square kilometers), is aston-
fire danger into Saturday. ishing even in a state that
However, powerful winds has had its fair share of fires.
didn't materialize early Fri- "It's likely that over the next
day, allowing fire crews day or two we will crest the
a chance to make some A firefighter battles the Glass Fire burning in a Calistoga, Calif., vineyard Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. 4-million-acre mark. The
gains, but winds up to 30 Associated Press biggest year before this
mph (48 kph) were forecast battle to keep flames from the air throughout the San ing: "We have your backs." year was 1.54 million," Cal
to push through the hills of jumping containment lines Francisco Bay Area. The Glass Fire is the fourth Fire Chief Thom Porter said.
Napa and Sonoma coun- and to prevent spot fires Gov. Gavin Newsom toured major blaze in the region "We are dwarfing that pre-
ties as the Glass Fire, which from leaping ahead to fire-ravaged Napa County in three years and comes vious record and we have
exploded in size earlier in spark new blazes. on Thursday and said the ahead of the third anniver- a lot of season left to go."
the week, threatens more "It's going to be a big fire- state was putting "all we sary of an Oct. 8, 2017, wild- The death toll increased to
than 28,000 homes and fight for us over the next have in terms of resources" fire that killed 22 people. 31 people after a person
other buildings. 36 hours," said Billy See, an into firefighting, particularly Newsom said people there burned in the LNU Lightning
"So far we have not seen assistant chief with the Cali- over the windy period. have been "torn asunder Complex died from their
the velocity of the winds fornia Department of For- "I've got four young kids in by wildfires seemingly every injuries, Cal Fire said in a
that we were expecting," estry and Fire Protection, or elementary school and I single year, this drumbeat, statement. A cluster of fires
said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Cal Fire. More crews and can't imagine for the chil- where people are exhaust- sparked by lightning in mid-
Mark Brunton. "But there will equipment were deployed dren and parents, the fami- ed, concerned, anxious August in the San Francisco
be gusts and ... we do have in and around Calistoga, lies, that may be seeing about their fate and their Bay Areawas fully con-
hot embers and it won't a town of 5,000 people these images, what's going future." Around the state, tained Thursday.
take much to take that and known for hot springs, mud through your minds," said 17,000 firefighters were bat- Fire officials said the Glass
blow it into a very dry re- baths and wineries in the Newsom, standing in front tling nearly two dozen ma- Fire was their first priority.
ceptive fuel bed. That gives hills of Napa County about of a burned-out elemen- jor blazes. Virtually all the Since erupting Sunday, the
us cause for concern." 70 miles (110 kilometers) tary school building. damage has been done fire has destroyed nearly
Winds were blowing at north of San Francisco. The "We're not just here for a since mid-August, when 600 buildings, including
higher elevations on the area was also experienc- moment. We're here to five of the six largest fires in 220 homes and nearly the
western side of the fire and ing high temperatures and rebuild and to reimagine state history erupted. Light- same number of commer-
crews expected a long thick smoke that fouled your school," he said, add- ning strikes caused some cial structures. q

Man fighting convictions in Olympic, clinic bombings

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) a federal crime. Rudolph they also argued. Court re-
— A man who was sen- filed a handwritten chal- cords show Rudolph, who is
tenced to life imprisonment lenge in June, and a public serving his sentence at the
after pleading guilty in the defender submitted further "supermax" federal prison in
fatal bombing of an Ala- arguments in the case this Florence, Colorado, also is
bama abortion clinic and week, WBMA-TV reported. challenging his plea in At-
the 1996 Atlanta Olympics He is seeking a new sen- lanta's Olympic Park bomb-
is arguing he deserves a tencing hearing or an op- ing, but the case is stalled
new sentencing hearing or portunity to change his because of the coronavirus
a chance to withdraw his guilty plea. pandemic.
plea. Eric Robert Rudolph Prosecutors argue that A bomb went off during a
contends a Supreme Court Rudolph, 54, waived his musical show at Centennial
decision released after right to appeal when he Olympic Park in downtown
he pleaded guilty in 2005 pleaded guilty in the clinic Atlanta on July 27, 1996, kill-
means he should be able blast, which killed an off- ing one person and injuring
to change his plea in the duty Birmingham police dozens.
In this April 13, 2005, file photo, convicted bomber Eric Rudolph, bombing of New Woman officer who was providing The clinic bombing oc-
left, is led to a waiting police car by U.S. Marshals as he leaves
the Jefferson County Jail for a hearing in Birmingham, Ala. All Women Health Care be- security for the clinic. Sub- curred in downtown Bir-
Associated Press cause part of the offense sequent court decisions mingham on Jan. 29,
is no longer considered don't void Rudolph's plea, 1998.q