Evacuation orders affecting hundreds of people were issued in California and Oregon as wildfires neared small towns, including one that’s a prime location for viewing the eclipse.
About 600 residents were told to leave the tourist town of Sisters, Oregon, and authorities said Saturday another 1,000 people had been told to be ready to leave if necessary.
Sisters is located on the edge of a 70-mile swath of the state where the moon will completely blot out the sun.
A bomber drops a load of fire retardant below the Lolo Peak fire creeping down the face of the ridge toward the Bitterroot Valley, Friday in Missoula, Montana. The Lolo Peak Fire in western Montana blew up overnight leading law enforcement officers to order the evacuation of up to 400 more homes west of the town of Lolo
Exhaustion reads on the face of a firefighter from Noorvik, Alaska, while he and his team were working the primary fire line on the Lolo Peak fire near Carlton Ridge, watching for and extinguishing spot fires that threatened to jump the line, Friday in Missoula
No structures had been lost and no injuries have been reported since the fire began last week. The cause is under investigation.
Crews were expecting a tough day Saturday with winds gusting to more than 20 mph.
On Monday, they will have to contend with the solar eclipse that fire officials say will ground all firefighting helicopters and most fixed-wing aircraft for about 35 minutes as the moon’s shadow passes over the area.
Shopkeepers were hoping the fire would not inhibit business as tourists arrive to watch the eclipse.
‘If you look up at the sky it’s not an orange cloud anymore,’ said Andrew Bourgerie, co-owner of Sisters Bakery. ‘So it’s simmering down a little bit.’
Map of the drive time to the center-line of the eclipse, this map does not take into account extremely heavy traffic in areas that are currently seeing swells of revelers
In another incident in Oregon, two people died in a small plane crash near Madras Municipal Airport, authorities said, near where people are gathering to view the eclipse.
The Central Oregon Emergency Information Network says the pilot and a passenger were killed in the crash about 2pm Saturday about a mile south of the airport. Officials did not identify the victims.
Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkin says the crash started a brushfire on a cliff.
Campers have been gathering at the airport for Monday’s eclipse.
About 200,000 people are expected in the area that’s considered a prime viewing spot as the moon completely blots out the sun.
A fire burns southwest of the Madras Municipal Airport in Madras, Oregon, on Saturday after a fatal plane crash in Willow Creek Canyon. The area is considered a prime viewing area for Monday’s solar eclipse
Firefighters respond to a fatal airplane crash that ignited a fire in Willow Creek Canyon southeast of the Madras airport on Saturday
Some campsites and recreational areas were shut down due to the 12-square-mile (31-square kilometer) wildfire in Deschutes National Forest that jumped fire lines Friday.
Officials say the blaze is producing heavy smoke while burning in forests at higher elevations and sagebrush in lower areas.
‘We have a few days before the eclipse to see if the smoke is in the area,’ fire spokeswoman Lisa Clark said.
Officials said only aircraft with instruments allowing them to fly at night can fight the fire during the eclipse. Clark said that eliminates the bulk of the firefighting fleet, though large air tankers will be able to fly.
During a total solar eclipse (pictured), the moon completely blocks the face of the sun. This reveals the ‘pearly white halo’ of the sun’s corona, its outer atmosphere (pictured), which is invisible to the naked eye at all other times
In California, authorities issued an evacuation order for the small town of Wawona as a week-old fire in Yosemite National Park grew and air quality reached a hazardous level.
The US Forest Service said the fire grew to more than 4 square miles (more than 10.36 sq. kilometers) overnight due to winds from thunderstorms.
Authorities ordered people to leave as air quality was expected to worsen.
Wawona, with a population of 1,000 to 2,000 people at any given time, is less than 2 miles (less than 3.22 kilometers) from the fire.
The evacuation order included the historic Big Trees Lodge, formerly known as the Wawona Hotel.
The fire has closed campgrounds and trails in the national park since it began a week ago. It was 10per cent contained.
About $700million worth of productivity will be lost across the American workforce on Monday with millions of people stepping away from their desks to watch the eclipse
In Montana, 155 National Guard troops arrived to monitor about three dozen security checkpoints in an area south of Missoula that was evacuated due to a fire that flared up after burning since at least July 15.
The fire destroyed two homes and several outbuildings Thursday. It burned an additional 14 square miles Friday and has charred an estimated 44 square miles (113.96 sq. kilometers) of wooded, mountainous terrain west of Lolo.
The troops will relieve law enforcement officers so they can return to other duties.
The Missoulian reported that heavy smoke has settled into valleys and officials warned of poor air quality.
Idaho’s two largest wildfires were burning mostly in wilderness areas.
One fire burned 17 square miles (44 square kilometers) in Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, and another in Gospel Hump Wilderness had burned 21 square miles (54 square kilometers).
In Arizona, officials say charges have been dismissed against Gene Carpenter, 54, who was arrested on suspicion of operating his drone in restricted airspace over a fire in June.
Deputy Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said new evidence was being investigated.