Fire & Flood
On Thursday a fire took off near Lake Isabella in Kern County, California. Wind and weather conditions frustrated efforts to contain it and the Erskine Fire has burned through 43,460 acres of grass and brush while destroying 150 homes and damaging another 75. An elderly couple died trying to escape the flames. The fire is only 40% contained.
On the other side of the US in West Virginia they are experiencing a 100-year flood event. Three counties, Nicholas, Kanawha and Greenbrier, were approved for Federal disaster assistance on Saturday. More counties may be added after a better assessment of damage. The official death count was 25 on Sunday. West Virginia Public Broadcasting has continuing coverage.
