US: California’s Camp Fire kills nine, threatens Oroville November 10 /update 3

Event

The Camp Fire in northern California's Butte county has killed at least nine people as of Saturday, November 10, and is expected to continue to spread to the southwest overnight. The fire, which is reportedly the most destructive fire in California history, has claimed the lives of nine civilians attempting to evacuate from the rapidly spreading fire and has destroyed 6500 buildings. New evacuation orders were issued on Saturday to include the communities north and east of Oroville Lake and areas to the west of Chico. The fire perimeter reaches from Paradise Lake to California Highway 70 (CA-70) down to CA-99 and CA-149.

California fire authorities warn of strong northeasterly winds up to 80 km/h (50 mph) from Saturday night (local time) into the morning of Sunday, November 11, that will help the blaze spread southwest and possibly cross Oroville Lake and into Oroville, a town of around 20,000 people. The fire is also expected to spread to the northwest, affecting the towns of Magalia and Paradise Pines. As of 09:39 on Saturday, the Camp Fire had burned 40,400 hectares (100,000 acres) and was 20 percent contained with full containment expected by November 30.

Context

The Camp Fire began around 06:30 on November 8 near Camp Creek Road before rapidly spreading. As of November 10, much of California is under a "red flag warning" indicating that prevailing weather conditions, such as low humidity and strong winds, are conducive for wildfire growth.

Wildfires are common in California from May through November.

Advice

Individuals near the affected areas are advised to closely monitor local news and fire reports, adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities (e.g. evacuation orders, road closures), be prepared to evacuate, and refrain from outdoor or strenuous activity.