07 September 2020
Los Angeles County authorities announced Santa Monica Mountains trails will be closed this long weekend after a woman died hiking during California's record-breaking heat wave, as wildfires continue to ravage much of the state.
What's happening: Red flag warnings were issued across California. The National Weather Service said "very hot and unstable conditions will bring a significant threat of large plume dominated fires." At least two people were severely hurt and 10 others had moderate injuries after becoming trapped by the rapidly growing Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest Saturday, per AP.
Dozens of evacuees are evacuated to safety on a Cal Guard Chinook last night after the Creek Fire in central California left them stranded. Photo courtesy California National Guard. pic.twitter.com/mi7X6wchpN
— The California National Guard (@CalGuard) September 6, 2020
Temperature records were broken or tied across California this weekend — including in Woodland Hills at Pierce College in the San Fernando Valley, which reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, the NWS said.
- The NWS warned the "critically dry fuels will result in a greater threat of fire ignitions as well as rapid fire growth."
- The weather in California is part of a "dangerous heat wave" under way across much of the Western U.S. through Labor Day, the NWS notes, and "critical fire weather conditions are forecast through midweek for portions of the West."
- The record temperatures come less than a month after another heat wave saw the thermometer in Death Valley, Southern California, hit 130°F.
Wind warnings were in place for counties including Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Ventura.
By the numbers: Firefighters have responded to 7,448 incidents this year, with seven fatalities confirmed as blazes burned across 1,848,311 acres destroying or damaging 3,855 structures, according to CalFire.
The big picture: Scores of fires continue to burn across the state, with the LNU Lightning Complex Fire burning across 375,209 acres, which was 91% on Sunday.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has declared a statewide emergency due to the widespread fires and extreme weather conditions. President Trump has issued a major disaster declaration for the state.
- Newsom also made an emergency proclamation Sunday for the counties of Fresno, Madera and Mariposa due to the Creek Fire; for San Bernardino County due to the El Dorado Fire; and for San Diego County due to the Valley Fire, which has burned 5,350 acres and was 1% contained Sunday.
- Other notable fires include the he SCU Lightning Complex Fire, which has burned 375209 acres and was 92% contained.
- The Creek Fire has razed 45,500 acres and was 0% contained.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.