NFL HITS THE Football GROUND RUNNING LOCAL Look for expanded How a Shaver Lake XTRA coverage of a full Subscribers will find slate of games as the native, Clovis store this bonus content at NFL season officially fresnobee.com/eedition are helping Creek gets underway. BRUCE KLUCKHOHN AP Fire evacuees 2A BONUS for SUBSCRIBERS Activate your account VOLUME 191, No.35645 FACEBOOK.COM/FRESNOBEE NEWS ALL DAY. for exclusive content: STAY CONNECTED FRESNOBEE.COM TWITTER.COM/FRESNOBEE YOUR WAY. MONDAY SEPTEMBER 14 2020 $2.00 fresnobee. com/activate Workers for farms Creek Fire burns 200,000 are asking Sierra National Forest acres for masks amid fires BY MANUELA TOBIAS [email protected] FRESNO Availability of N95 masks for farmworkers looked as hazy as the orange sky in California this week. The respirator masks are the most effective shield against toxic air for workers who have to remain outside as wildfires rip through the Golden State. But farmwork- er groups reported workers have virtually no masks, while the state and ag groups say they have distributed millions. As of Thursday, the Cali- fornia Office of Emergency Services, along with the Cali- fornia Department of Food and Agriculture have shipped close to 3.27 million N95 masks to agriculture commis- sioners in 35 counties and over 13 million cloth and surgical masks, according to CDFA spokesman Steve Lyle. Fresno Agriculture Com- JOHN WALKER [email protected] missioner Melissa Cregan Melted aluminum from tire rims sits next to a charred vehicle at Meadow Lakes on Saturday. said that through partner organizations, the county has distributed 443,230 N95 the smoke layer lifts, it is ex- respirators to growers and Trump meeting pected to be more active and farm labor contractors. The on wildfires spread faster. According to fire masks are exclusively for officials, the fire is expected to employers, she said, to help will include move toward South Fork Bluffs, them meet a state mandate Central Camp, Lake Creek, that they make masks avail- Fresno sheriff Mugler Falls, Jackass Meadow able to employees free of and McCreary Trailhead; also, charge if the air quality index in the Browns Creek, Central for particulate matter 2.5 Camp, Camino Falls, Graveyard exceeds 151. BY CARMEN GEORGE AND ROBERT Meadows and Piyau Dome Workers are required to KUWADA areas. wear masks, per the same [email protected] The wildfire started Sept. 4 statute, if AQI exceeds 500. [email protected] near Big Creek and Huntington According to the U.S. Envi- The Creek Fire continued to Lake, quickly spread and now ronmental Protection Agen- burn through the Sierra Nation- ranks among the Top 20 largest cy, anything above 150 is al Forest and foothill communi- fires in California history. The unhealthy for the general ties surpassing 200,000 acres August Complex Fire, which population, not just sensitive in size with 8% containment JOHN WALKER [email protected] started Aug. 16 in the Mendoci- groups. The AQI has sur- Sunday morning. The fire-gutted ruins of a home Saturday at Meadow Lakes. no National Forest in Northern passed that in many areas, Full containment is not ex- California, has burned 875,059 and the Valley Air District pected until mid-October, and acres and is the largest. has warned all residents to the cause of the fire remains fense, tactical patrol around of smoke over portions of the remain indoors. under investigation. structures in burned areas and fire, allowing for the use of MIMS TO TAKE PART IN In a Facebook poll United According to a report from perimeter control. Containment helicopters and air tankers. ROUNDTABLE WITH TRUMP Farm Workers Secretary Cal Fire, stronger winds over lines are being constructed and In Madera County, the Creek Fresno County Sheriff Marga- Treasurer Armando Elenes the fire were expected to allow strengthened in several areas Fire was most active on Sat- ret Mims will take part in a conducted Wednesday, 335 for better mixing and less including China Peak, Cherry urday in the northwest, moving roundtable discussion with farmworkers said they had smoke. The change in condi- Valley, Blue Canyon, Auberry, toward the Minaret Mountains. President Donald Trump on not received an N95 mask, tions was expected to lead to Shaver Lake and Huntington Conditions in the North Zone Monday in Sacramento that will whereas 31 people said they more active fire behavior, put- Lake. of the wildfire were expected to had received one. That’s even ting the focus on structure de- The winds will clear the layer be more active on Sunday – as SEE WILDFIRES, 6A worse than when he conduct- ed a similar poll among 330 field workers on Aug. 21, when the state was only start- The root systems on fire can ing to distribute masks, and leave tunnels that can collapse 278 workers, or 84%, said ‘Fire tornado’ burned through underfoot, Donnelly added. they didn’t receive an N95 Even areas that didn’t catch mask. fire were affected, with Donnel- “My question is, where the area near Huntington Lake ly recounting that unburned hell are they going?” Elenes trees somehow hit unburned asked. of the scene he witnessed Saturday that the Creek Fire cabins in the Upper Line area. Irene de Barraicua, spokes- BY BRYANT-JON ANTEOLA Sept. 5. continues to burn in the area, At least five cabins were de- woman for the statewide [email protected] He and others captured the with some fires occurring un- stroyed, the chief said. farmworker group Lideres scene in photos and on videos derground and attacking the Campesinas, also said “a high A “fire tornado” scorched the that they hope to share with root system of trees at more UPPER BEAR EXTENSION need” for masks persists in area near Huntington Lake evacuees in the coming days. than 1,500 degrees. TAKES BRUNT OF FIRE the San Joaquin Valley and when the Creek Fire initially A fire tornado, also some- “Fire inspectors from the The Upper Bear Extension is across the state. picked up in intensity last week, times called a fire whirl, occurs office of the State Fire Marshall considered the hardest hit area The disconnect between according to Huntington Lake when intense heat from a wild- stated that fire behavior in the of Huntington Lake. worker and industry groups Volunteer Fire Department fire causes hot air to surge up Kennolyn area is the worst they “We were able to visualize may be political — industry Chief Chris Donnelly. from the ground and form a had witnessed in their career,” almost all areas, however, in the groups want to be known as The large flames and high whirl or tornado-like vertically Donnelly wrote in a post that northernmost portion of Upper good actors, while worker winds caused many trees to be oriented rotating column of air, was shared on social media, Line, it was unsafe for even us groups want more resources. uprooted in the old meadow according to UC Santa timestamped as 11 a.m. Sat- to enter,” Donnelly said. But both sides admit the state area in front of Kennolyn Barbara’s Department of urday. “Unfortunately, it will be A drone was used to fly over Camps on the north side of Geography. some time before it is safe to SEE MASKS, 8A Huntington Lake, Donnelly said A week later, Donnelly said enter the burned areas.” SEE FIRE, 8A CUSTOMER SERVICE Classified Puzzles To subscribe or report delivery issues, 8A 6B Hazy sunshine Comics Sports 7B 1B 93°/64° See 8B 800-877-3400 or fresnobee.com/customer-service Opinion 7A TV 5B 2A MONDAY SEPTEMBER 14 2020 Stay Connected FRESNOBEE.COM CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS Shaver Lake native, See an error or another problem with content in this edition? Report it by Clovis store helping going to fresnobee.com /customer-service or by calling 1-888-905-2036. To report delivery or Creek Fire evacuees account issues, call 800-877-3400. tionary engineer for Fres- “There were a ton of BY ANTHONY GALAVIZ no Madera Ice Company, people there and a bunch [email protected] texted to say people need- of them were praying,” ed peanut butter and jelly, she said. “It broke my Brianna Cutting went to diapers and wipes. heart seeing the parking work Tuesday morning at “I told him, ‘Let me see lot full of RVs and people FoodMaxx in Clovis and what I can do,’” she said. walking their dogs. My had a hard time focusing “I told my manager and heart just broke.” Special to the Bee because of the Creek Fire he asked, ‘How many After delivering the Brianna Cutting, who grew up at Shaver Lake, wanted to NEWS TIP? that is ravaging eastern people?’ and I told him, ‘I items, she was told people help people evacuated because of the Creek Fire. With Have a news tip to share? Fresno and Madera coun- have no idea.’” evacuated to the Clovis the blessing of her manager at FoodMaxx in Clovis, she Email [email protected]. ties. Cutting asked her man- North Educational Center organized a drive for supplies, including diapers. This was hitting home ager if she could organize needed diapers because for Cutting. She grew up a charity drive. He agreed. they were running short in Shaver Lake. Her father Coworkers volunteered to there, too. She took them wipes. We helped her through,” she said. “I just and his wife live there and help pay for the purchases diapers and other items. gather and deliver these wanted to do something MAKE A DATE! Cutting’s 4-year-old — at a wholesale price for “All of us at FoodMaxx urgently needed items to to help.