Mike McMkillan / AP
A member of a hotshot crew uses a drip torch to set back fires on the southern flank of the Rim Fire in California.
By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News
The monstrous California wildfire that has scorched an area nearly the size of New York City doesn't just loom over hundreds of homes ? it's also threatening one of the cornerstones of the regional economy: cattle.
Many of the thousands of grass-fed cows who have grazed on lush land in the Stanislaus National Forest ? where the massive fire sparked Aug. 17 ? are now feared displaced, wounded or dead, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
As local ranch hands deal with their potentially decimated stock ? and with the future of grazing in the forest area unclear ? the regional cattle industry may take a big hit, according to the newspaper.
"They go out every day, gathering the cows they can find, the ones that have made it into the green areas," Susan Forbes, a national forest staffer, told the Chronicle. "They're finding pockets of livestock and concentrating on removing them as fast as they can."
Forbes told the newspaper that 12 of 36 grazing grounds in the park were devastated by the blaze. Herds of cattle are now scattered over thousands of acres ? making evacuation efforts a huge challenge.
The Golden state accounts for 7.4 percent of the U.S. national revenue for livestock and livestock products. It's also the number one state in cash farm receipts, making up 11.6 percent of the U.S. total, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Cattle and calves were California's fifth leading commodity two years ago, and remain a chief state resource, according to CDFA data.
Meanwhile, crews battling the so-called Rim Fire made significant gains overnight, officials said.
The fire was 60 percent contained Monday morning, a jump from 45 percent Sunday night, said Dan Bastion, a spokesman for the multiagency fire management team.
Cooler temperatures and higher humidity allowed crews to get an advantage on the fire overnight, according to Bastion.
?Last night is when it all really tied together,? Andrea Capps, spokeswoman for the Rim Fire command center, told Reuters. ?It?s looking really good over there right now. They?re calling that containment line secure.?
And yet despite the boost in containment, Capps said analysts estimate it could take until Sept. 20 to fully contain the Rim Fire, according to Reuters.
?The majority of the containment lines will probably be really strong by the middle, end of this week, but they just want to give themselves enough time to make sure it?s fully contained,? she told the wire service.
Crews will continue building fire lines and scorching away the fire's potential fuel sources Monday, according to the Associated Press.
The so-called Rim Fire now spans over 357 square miles, or 228,670 acres, making it the fourth-largest blaze in modern California history, he said. It surpasses a 1932 fire in Ventura County, according to officials.
The fire threatens some 4,500 homes, although many of those structures are "not in imminent danger," Bastion said. Some 11 residences have already burned down, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Mandatory evacuations still stand for some people south of Highway 120. Tioga Road west of Yosemite Creek Picnic Area remains shuttered, according to the AP.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, but the possibility that it was started by an illegal marijuana growing operation was recently raised by a fire chief in Tuolomne County.
Todd McNeal, fire chief in the town of Twain Harte, west of Yosemite, said at an Aug. 23 community meeting that officials "know it's human caused, there?s no lightning in the area. ? (We) highly suspect that it might be some sort of illicit grove, marijuana grow-type thing.? ? ??
His comments surfaced in?a YouTube video?of the meeting.
However, Rim Fire spokesman Brian Haines told NBC Bay Area that at this juncture, the marijuana theory is merely "an opinion."
In June, 15,000 marijuana plants were pulled out the forest to the south and four miles of irrigation pipe were removed, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
The newspaper said a 40-acre wildfire the month earlier in the same area was blamed on marijuana growers tied to Mexican drug cartels.
Elisha Fieldstadt of NBC News, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Firefighters continue to labor against the blaze known as the "Rim Fire." It is growing as much as 3,000 acres an hour and now covers 200,000 acres. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.
Related:
This story was originally published on Mon Sep 2, 2013 4:59 PM EDT
stock market Vince Flynn Mexico vs Brazil Tim Duncan Kim And Kanye Baby Name NBA Finals Game 7 TWA Flight 800
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.