Scores of wildfires are scorching swaths of the US and Canada. Here's the latest on some of them

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Scores of wildfires are scorching swaths of the US and Canada. Here's the latest on some of them

2024-07-27 07:25 Last Updated At：07:30

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scores of wildfires across the United States and Canada have scorched swaths of land in California, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Alberta and beyond, forcing evacuations and road closures, as well as destroying and threatening structures. Air quality advisorie s and alerts have been issued in some affected areas.

As of Friday, there were 96 large active fires in the U.S. that have engulfed 2,274 square miles (5,890 square kilometers), most of them in Oregon, followed by California and Arizona, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

More than 1,500 square miles (4,000 square kilometers) have burned overall so far this summer in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. In Canada, more than 3,700 fires have charred more than 8,000 square miles (22,800 square kilometers) so far this year, according to the government’s latest National Wildland Fire Situation Report, issued Wednesday.

Fuels and fire behavior advisories are in place for southwest Oregon, the region east of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, Nevada, southern Idaho, Utah and California.

Here's the latest on major wildfires as of Friday.

The Durkee Fire in Baker County, Oregon, is the largest active blaze in the U.S., which merged with the Cow Fire to burn nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers). The blaze started nine days ago and remains unpredictable. It was only 20% contained Friday.

Evacuations were lifted for the small eastern Oregon city of Huntington after thunderstorms on Wednesday brought rain and cooler temperatures.

The Park Fire in Butte County, California, near the city of Chico has seared 257 square miles (666 square kilometers) and was considered completely uncontained Friday.

Evacuations were ordered in Butte and Tehama counties. About 4,000 residents in unincorporated areas of Butte County and 400 residents of Chico were ordered to evacuate, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said late Thursday. Two minor injures were reported, more than 130 structures were destroyed and about 4,200 were threatened.

A California man arrested Thursday was accused of sparking the state’s largest wildfire of the year by pushing a burning car into a gully. Ronnie Dean Stout, 42, of Chico, was being held without bail pending an arraignment Monday, officials said.

The blaze was burning northwest of Paradise, the community devasted by the Camp Fire in 2018 that killed 85 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

A wildfire in the Canadian Rockies has scorched 139 square miles (360 square kilometers).

Officials said Thursday that the blaze prompted 25,000 people to flee as it roared into the near-deserted town of Jasper overnight. Assessments of damaged infrastructure was ongoing, but officials estimated about 30% of the town was damaged, with 358 structures destroyed.

The town's hospital, emergency services building, activity center, schools and wastewater treatment plant were protected.

Cooler temperatures and rain brought minimal fire spread Friday, but winds anticipated to reach up to 18.6 mph (30 kph) could increase fire activity.

The Gwen Fire, which includes the River Fire, is burning in Latah County, Idaho, about 30 miles outside the city of Lewiston, and has charred 31 square miles (80 square kilometers). Information about containment and the number of square miles burned so far was not immediately available.

Residents of the town of Juliaetta, population of just over 600, were evacuated Thursday ahead of the lightning-sparked blaze, as were several other communities near the Clearwater River.

The Idaho Department of Lands said “multiple structures” were burned, but it did not immediately release more details about whether the structures were homes or outbuildings.

The human-caused Falls Fire in Harney County, Oregon, has destroyed 219 square miles (567 square kilometers) and was 55% contained.

A tanker plane that disappeared Thursday while fighting the Falls Fire and others across several Western states has been found, and the pilot on board is dead, authorities said Friday.

Evacuation orders remained in place in Grant and Harney counties because of the Falls Fire and the nearby Telephone Fire.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

The Gold Complex fires in Portola, California, have seared nearly 5 square miles (12 square kilometers) of brush and timber in the Plumas National Forest and were 11% contained. The blaze, sparked by lightning, displaced about 1,000 people Thursday. But some evacuation orders were lifted Friday.

The Lone Rock Fire in Gilliam County, Oregon, has burned 213 square miles (552 square kilometers) and was 45% contained.

Minimal to moderate fire behavior on Thursday allowed crews to make progress and increase containment, greatly reducing the threat to structures, according to a fire update on InciWeb.

The fire's cause remains under investigation.

The Macy Fire in inland Southern California, in the city of Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, erupted Thursday afternoon and was 15% contained. One unspecified structure had been destroyed, and evacuation orders remained in place.

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Fry's 2-run homer in 10th sends Guardians to stunning 7-5 win over Yankees, close to 2-1 in ALCS

2024-10-18 11:38 Last Updated At：11:41

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jhonkensy Noel saved Cleveland's season. David Fry extended it.

With two huge swings, the Guardians hit back at the big, bad New York Yankees and tightened an AL Championship Series that was just about over.

Noel connected for a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning and Fry hit a two-run shot in the 10th as Cleveland rallied past New York 7-5 on Thursday night in an unforgettable Game 3 to pull the Guardians to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Cleveland’s unexpected season that included 92 wins and the AL Central title was on the brink after Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase and Giancarlo Stanton followed with a solo drive in the eighth to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

But Noel, a burly outfielder known as Big Christmas, delivered an October gift and Fry followed with his second momentous homer in these playoffs.

“That’s exactly who we are,” first-year Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We never quit. We get punched in the teeth pretty hard there in the eighth, and our guys stepped up huge for the guy that carried us all year long. That was really fun to see."

It was exhausting, thrilling and dramatic as the Yankees and Guardians jammed a season's worth of highlights into three innings.

"That was playoff baseball,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Both sides just kept coming with haymakers and big at-bats, big moments off of two really good bullpens. They outlasted us. They had one more good swing than us. That’s part of it. We’ll be ready to roll tomorrow.”

The Guardians trailed 5-3, had no runners on base in the ninth and were moments from falling into a 3-0 deficit when Lane Thomas doubled against Luke Weaver, who had been perfect in eight save chances since taking over as the Yankees closer in September. Noel then delivered his towering homer.

As he rounded the bases, Progressive Field fans danced on their seats and in the aisles in a moment reminiscent of Rajai Davis’ tying homer off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of 2016 World Series Game 7.

It was fitting that Davis, who now works for Major League Baseball, was on hand to see Noel's homer that now belongs beside his in Cleveland history.

“We’re a team that don’t quit,” Noel, who came in 1 of 15 in the playoffs, said through an interpreter. “We play 27 outs, so that’s kind of what happened today.”

Fry joked Noel's homer was stunning and no surprise at all.

“It was amazement,” he said of the reaction in Cleveland's dugout. "It was so much excitement, but then it was just like, oh, yeah, of course Jhonkensy hit a game-tying homer against a guy throwing 98 hits it for a homer.

“Nobody does that. Like Vogter said coming in the game, it's like, here you go, big boy, hit a two-run homer, and he did. It’s so cool.”

Fry’s swing ended an instant fall classic.

Bo Naylor singled leading off the 10th against Clay Holmes and Brayan Rocchio sacrificed. Naylor took third on Steven Kwan's comebacker before Fry, who hit a Division Series-saving homer in Game 4 at Detroit, sent a 1-2 sinker into the left-field bleachers.

Fry watched the ball sail into the stands before heading toward first. He was mobbed by teammates after crossing home plate as fans tossed drinks in the air while trying to process the emotional rollercoaster they had endured.

“I blacked out,” Fry said. “I remember being like halfway down the first baseline looking back at the dugout and looking and saying, alright, I just have to make sure I touch all four bases and get home and celebrate.”

Cleveland can tie the series with a win Friday.

The Guardians still have a chance to end baseball's current longest World Series drought, stretching to 1948.

Judge homered in Game 2 but was batting just .143 (3 of 21) with eight strikeouts this October before coming to the plate against Clase, the AL’s saves leader and MLB’s most feared reliever.

After falling behind 1-2 in the count, Judge, who was on the field taking batting practice five hours before the game, sat back and drove a 99 mph cutter from Clase the opposite way to right, the ball just clearing the outfield wall.

New York’s players poured out of the dugout to celebrate as Judge, the likely AL MVP after hitting 58 homers in the regular season, circled the bases following his 15th postseason homer.

The Yankees, who had been held to three hits over the first seven innings, were still exchanging hugs and high-fives when Stanton crushed a 1-2 slider from Clase, sending it over the center-field wall.

But even though they had the lead, the Yankees weren't taking anything for granted.

“I wouldn't say we were looking ahead to the World Series,” Judge said. “We still have another game, even if it was 3-0.”

Clase had been impeccable all season, allowing just five runs and recording 34 consecutive saves while dominating almost every time he took the mound. But he was tagged for a three-run homer in the ninth by Kerry Carpenter in the ALDS before Judge and Stanton got him within a span of eight pitches.

New York had two on with no outs in the ninth but scored just one run, on Gleyber Torres' sacrifice fly. Eli Morgan ended the inning by throwing a called third strike past Juan Soto.

Rookie Kyle Manzardo hit a two-run homer in the third for Cleveland.

The 30th postseason matchup between the Guardians and Yankees was another tightly contested matchup between two franchises who know each other well this time of year. This is their seventh meeting in the playoffs.

Cleveland finally got some length from a starter as Matthew Boyd went five innings, the most Vogt has permitted this postseason. The left-hander gave up two hits in the second before retiring 10 straight, seven on easy grounders.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Reliever Ian Hamilton was lifted in the sixth inning after appearing to hurt himself while covering first base. The team said he had left calf tightness. ... Boone said LHP Nestor Cortes came through a brief batting practice pitching session on Wednesday without any issues. Cortes is recovering from an elbow strain and hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 18. If New York advances, he could be added to the World Series roster.

UP NEXT

Guardians RHP Gavin Williams will start Game 4, his first appearance of the postseason. The hard-throwing Williams had a disappointing regular season (3-10, 4.86 ERA), which began with him on the injured list for several months with an elbow issue. He’ll face Yankees RHP Luis Gil, who went 15-7 during the regular season.

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