Atwater Feed store engulfed in flames, authorities say

PHOTOS: A well-known business in Atwater became engulfed in flames early Sunday morning, authorities in Atwater say. The Atwater Police Department says its officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of Atwater Boulevard just after 1:00 a.m. where they say they arrived to find the Atwater Feed store on fire. At that point, the Atwater Fire Department was called out to the scene to battle the giant flames. Fire crews say the blaze was intense and crews aggressively attacked it. Firefighters say it took them until just before sunrise to contain the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and anyone with information on the case is encouraged to reach out to either the Atwater Police Department or the Atwater Fire Department.
KGPE-TV CBS 47 Fresno

Firefighters get brush fire 90% contained after burning 1,300 acres in Antelope Valley

VIDEO: Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department battled a second-alarm brush fire in the Antelope Valley area Sunday. The fire was reported just before 2 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of West Avenue D and 130th Street West in Fairmont and burned 1,300 acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. As of Sunday evening, firefighters reached 90% containment and announced that crews would continue working through the night. A firefighting helicopter from the Los Angeles Fire Department was requested around 2:10 p.m. Sunday. No injuries were reported, but one barn was destroyed by the fire. Avenue D was closed for the replacement of burned power poles. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

Arson investigation launched after fire burns historic South Los Angeles church for second time in two years

An arson investigation was under way Sunday after fire damaged a nearly 100-year-old Los Angeles church for the second time in less than two years, authorities. Flames broke out shorty before 7 p.m. Saturday in the sanctuary of St. John’s United Methodist Church and spread into a balcony, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. More than 30 firefighters took about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze at the two-story church in the Watts neighborhood, the statement said. No injuries were reported. The blaze occurred as St. John’s was undergoing renovations from another fire that caused major damage in February 2022, the Los Angeles Times reported. After the earlier fire, worshippers moved services to the parking lot, where they were still being held as of this weekend, the Times said.
KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

South Bakersfield grass fire disrupts Golden Valley High grad ceremony

VIDEO: A large brushfire interrupted the graduation ceremony at Golden Valley High School in South Bakersfield. The fire damaged multiple parked vehicles, but no injuries have been reported so far. Video sent by Nick Hill from the Kern High School District shows the blaze that broke out just before 8:30 pm in a field just east of the Golden Valley football field where the graduation ceremony was underway. Battalion Chief Matt Imbelloni with the Kern County Fire Department says their preliminary investigation indicates that a firework set off nearby sparked the fire, which spread eastward, threatening the field where the graduates and their families were, as well as a few houses just south of the field in the nearby neighborhood.
KERO-TV ABC 23 Bakersfield

Kite Surfer Located After Search and Rescue Investigation in San Francisco

PHOTOS: A kite surfer was located and appeared unharmed Thursday afternoon after emergency crews responded to a report of the person in distress in the Point Lobos area of San Francisco, firefighters said. The San Francisco Fire Department and the United States Coast Guard responded to the call. A California Highway Patrol helicopter was also called in to assist.
KNTV NBC 11 San Jose

Alum from Campolindo High school in Moraga creates new tool to combat California wildfires

VIDEO: A downside to the incredible amount of rain from the winter storms -- and beautiful green growth that came after -- is the increased quantity of fuels for wildfires. Rising Bay Area temperatures are now drying out all the extra vegetation, putting many parts of California at higher wildfire risk. 2017 was a particularly bad year for the Wine Country wildfires. The smoke spreading across the Bay Area sparked an idea for a Campolindo High School senior to try to do something to help. "Everyone's lives were interrupted, lives were lost," said Vasya Tremsin, who co-founded Torch Sensors and is the company's COO. "Billions of dollars in damages, etc. So I thought to myself, 'Why is there a smoke alarm indoors that exists and is ubiquitous all around the world, but there is no outdoor smoke alarm for an outdoor fire sensor at all?'"
KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco

Grass-eating goats clear fire-prone brush near Reagan Library in Simi Valley

The Ventura County Fire Department has hired some new four-legged firefighters to help clear brush surrounding the fire prone Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The 700 grass-eating goats will be contained by fencing in order to focus their grazing and cover more ground quickly. According to Ventura Brush Goats, the organization providing the furry firefighters, goats eat about 4% of their body weight each day and are able to clear large swathes of brush, noxious and invasive weeds in a much safer and less expensive way than other methods. They will also have several K-9 guards who will protect the goats from predators like coyotes and mountain lions. Officials estimate that it will take two weeks for the goats to clear the grounds.
KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles