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Injuries were reported and homes were threatened in a Southern California wildfire that began Wednesday and, fueled by high winds, rapidly grew to over 10,000 acres, officials said. B&J Drive - InThe fire began at 8:51 a.m. local time, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. High winds prevented fixed-wing aircraft from helping fight the fire, the Ventura County Fire Department said. The fire jumped State Route 118 and part of it was closed due to fire on both sides of the freeway, the California Department of Transportation said. Smoke was also limiting visibility and slowing traffic on the busy 101 freeway, south of the state route, the department said on X.

Persons: ” Organizations: California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Cal Fire, Fire Department, California Department of Transportation, National Weather Service, UC San Diego Locations: Southern California, Ventura County, Santa Ana, Ventura , Calif, Ventura, Santa, Tierra Rejada

☆ Lithium Battery Fire Traps Drivers in Sweltering Heat on California Highway
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Hank Sanders | More About Hank Sanders | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Drivers were stuck in traffic in 109-degree heat on a California highway on Saturday for hours as the authorities struggled to extinguish a fire involving a truck carrying lithium ion batteries that had overturned on Friday. Emergency services received calls around 6:30 a.m. local time about a truck that had crashed near Baker, Calif., in the northbound lanes of I-15, a major highway that leads travelers to Las Vegas. The northbound lanes were closed beginning at 8:30 a.m., and the southbound lanes at 9 a.m. The southbound lanes reopened shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol. The northbound lanes remained closed as of 5 p.m. on Saturday, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Organizations: California, Patrol, California Department of Transportation Locations: California, Baker, Calif, Las Vegas

☆ Tesla prioritizes Musk's and other 'VIP' drivers' data to train self-driving software
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Business Insider has learned that those annotators focus their efforts on two high-profile categories of drivers: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and a select set of "VIP" drivers. These drivers are internally referred to as "VIP" users and their data is at times put in VIP queues, according to the workers. Related storiesData collected from VIP users, including high-profile Tesla drivers who post on YouTube, is scrutinized more heavily and more likely to be labeled, three current and former workers said. They said they'd been specifically told by leads on their teams that they were working on "VIP data" and had received overtime pay to work on the data ahead of FSD updates. Tesla's self-driving in the regulatory spotlightTesla has come under increasing scrutiny from regulators over the self-driving software and the company's marketing of the service.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Musk's Teslas, YouTubers, Musk, Tesla, Tesla's, John Bernal, Bernal, else's, annotators, Walter Isaacson's, Tesla influencers, FSD, they'd, Raj Balwani, Chuck Cook, Tesla Raj, Balwani, I've, Cook, he'd, they're, Missy Cummings, Cummings, Philip Koopman, Koopman Organizations: Service, Business, Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, California Department of Transportation, YouTube, National, Traffic Safety Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, US Justice Department Locations: Hillsborough , California, Tesla's Austin, Fremont , California, Hawthorne , California, California, San Francisco, Buffalo , New York, Los Angeles, Hawthorne, YouTubers, Lombard

☆ A growing California wildfire spanning 14,000 acres is forcing residents to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Jillian Sykes | Dalia Faheid | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A growing grass fire that began Saturday afternoon in San Joaquin County, California, has consumed 14,000 acres, forcing residents in its path to evacuate the area, officials say. The Corral Fire began in the City of Tracy around 2:30 p.m., according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “Areas west of the California Aqueduct, South of Corral Hollow Creek, West to Alameda County and South to Stanislaus County should leave now,” the county said Saturday. A resident evacuates his horse as the Corral Fire bears down on ranches west of Tracy, California, on June 1, 2024. A section of I-580 is closed in both directions due to the “major grass fire, smoke, and zero visibility,” according to the California Department of Transportation.

Persons: Tracy, Kent Porter, Josh Silveira, Silveira, Kevin J Lincoln, CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit’s, Baraka Carter Organizations: CNN, California Department of Forestry, Clover Community Center, The Press Democrat, AP, Alameda, Cal Fire Battalion, California Department of Transportation, National Weather Service, The California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Firefighters, CAL FIRE Santa Clara, Santa Clara Unit Locations: San Joaquin County , California, City, Tracy, California, South, West, Alameda County, Stanislaus County, San Joaquin, Tracy , California, Stockton, Sacramento, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Stanislaus

☆ 2,000 Motorists Stranded After Part of California’s Highway 1 Collapses
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A portion of scenic Highway 1 in the Big Sur area of California collapsed Saturday stranding about 2,000 motorists, mostly tourists, overnight. Officials with the California Department of Transportation said on Sunday that a section of the southbound highway located in the Central Coast, would remain closed to the public while crews worked on the affected areas. The highway, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, features stretches of rocky cliffs, lush mountains, panoramic beaches and coastal redwood forests. Caltrans, the agency, did not give an estimate of when it expected to fully reopen the highway. Officials did not say what led to the collapse, but torrential rain battered the area near Rocky Creek Bridge, which is about 17 miles south of Monterey.

Organizations: California Department of Transportation, Pacific, Caltrans Locations: California, Central, Rocky, Monterey

The Sugar Bowl Ski Resort located near Donner Peak recorded 87 inches (7.25 feet) of snow from Friday to Sunday. Snow blocks the door of the maintenance shop of the ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe on Friday, March 1, 2024. At least 5 feet of snow buried the resort, but strong winds carried snow into even taller piles called snow drifts. Snow completely engulfs a guest's car at the ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe on Friday, March 1, 2024. The California Highway Patrol posted a photo Saturday afternoon of one of its cars stuck in snow.

Persons: Jax, Jane Tyska, “ Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Area, AP, Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Transportation Locations: Sierra Nevada, Northern California, Pacific, Truckee , California, California, Nevada, Tahoe, Sierra, Twin, Truckee, Kingvale, Auburn

CNN —Blizzard conditions continued to slam Northern California over the weekend with damaging winds and heavy snow dumping on mountain ridges down to the valleys. The most extreme conditions are unfolding at the highest elevations in the mountains, with whiteout conditions and hurricane-force winds. The weather service has warned of “high to extreme” avalanche danger through Sunday afternoon in the Central Sierra and Greater Lake Tahoe area. “Expect snowy conditions throughout the park,” park officials said. A blizzard warning remains in effect for the park area until 7 p.m. on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford, California.

Persons: “, Whiteouts, Brooke Hess, Mario Tama Organizations: CNN, Blizzard, Prediction, Central Sierra, Intermountain, Weather, West, National Weather Service, California Department of Transportation, Donner Summit, California Highway Patrol, Facebook, Officials Locations: Northern California, Sierra Nevada, Nevada, Greater Lake Tahoe, Sierra, California, Tahoe, Twin, Truckee, Truckee , California, Colfax, Yosemite, Hanford , California

☆ Los Angeles is defined by its deep-rooted car culture. Could the recent I-10 freeway fire make Angelenos rethink that relationship?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Officials encouraged people to switch to public transit to alleviate bad traffic from road closures. For native Angelenos and the millions of visitors who've traveled to the area, Los Angeles car culture is simply a way of life. According to The Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority saw a 10% bump in ridership on the E Line light rail train that runs through downtown Los Angeles on the first two workdays after the incident. While it's too early to know if public transit ridership will be up in November, a reimagined vision of traversing Los Angeles has long been overdue. The transit system simply isn't woven into the fabric of Los Angeles compared to cities like New York and Chicago.

Persons: —, who've, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, it's, Damian Dovarganes Organizations: Service, Los Angeles Mayor, Los Angeles Times, Los, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metro Transit Authority, TAP, California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, Wall Street, LA Transit, AP, LA Metro Rail Locations: LA, Los Angeles, California, Angelenos, Los Angeles County, Santa Monica, Inglewood, Angeles, New York, Chicago, Santa, Southern California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An elevated Los Angeles freeway closed for more than a week because of an arson fire reopened ahead of Monday morning's commute, at least a day earlier than previously announced and weeks ahead of the original estimate. “Welcome back, Los Angeles!” Mayor Karen Bass posted late Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Gavin Newsom said recent safety inspections showed the span was safe to start reopening Sunday evening and that the freeway would be “fully operational” before Monday's rush hour. State investigators repeatedly identified fire and safety hazards at a leased storage space under an elevated Los Angeles freeway before it burned in the fire, documents show. The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, released the documents Friday.

Persons: Karen Bass, Gavin Newsom, ” Newsom, Kamala Harris, Sen, Alex Padilla, Bass, ” Bass, Padilla, Investigators, ”, Newsom, Daryl Myatt, Mainak, hasn't, Marshall, ” D’Attaray, Izzy Gordon, Gordon, —, ” Brandon Richards, Richards, Sophia Tareen Organizations: ANGELES, Twitter, Gov, California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, Cal Fire, State Fire, Apex Development Inc, Apex, Apex Development, “ Apex, CalTrans, California’s, California Department of Forestry, Associated Press Locations: Los, Los Angeles, U.S, Angeles, Apex, Chicago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — State investigators repeatedly identified fire and safety hazards at a leased storage space under an elevated Los Angeles freeway before it burned in an arson fire, documents show. Gavin Newsom said the state will reassess the practice of leasing land under roads to bring in money for mass transportation projects. Political Cartoons View All 1256 ImagesApex Development Inc. has leased the land under I-10 since 2008. In September, state officials filed a lawsuit against Apex saying it owes $78,000 in unpaid rent. Caltrans had “informed Apex Development of the need to address violations, especially those creating safety hazards,” the agency said in a statement.

Persons: ”, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Newsom, Karen Bass, Daryl Myatt, Mainak, ” D’Attaray, Marshall, Izzy Gordon, ” Brandon Richards, Richards Organizations: ANGELES, —, The California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, Authorities, Gov, Apex Development Inc, Apex, Apex Development, “ Apex, CalTrans, California’s, California Department of Forestry, Cal Fire, Caltrans “, State Fire Locations: Angeles, Los Angeles, Apex, California

☆ Los Angeles I-10 Freeway Closure Expected to Snarl Traffic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A fire under Interstate 10 severely damaged the freeway connecting to downtown Los Angeles. Photo: Richard Vogel/Associated PressLos Angeles drivers girded for significant disruptions to their commutes beginning Monday after a fire shut down part of Interstate 10, a major artery in the city’s freeway system. A section of the busy interstate that connects to downtown Los Angeles will remain closed in both directions “until further notice,” the California Department of Transportation, or CalTrans, said Sunday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County over the weekend, mobilizing state resources to assist with repairing the damage.

Persons: Richard Vogel, Gavin Newsom Organizations: Associated Press Los, California Department of Transportation, CalTrans, California Gov Locations: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the closure as a “crisis” for a city already notorious for its traffic woes. This photo provided by the California Department of Transportation shows an early morning fire along Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles on Saturday. A Los Angeles firefighter uses a robotic hose to douse a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged an overpass in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday. Wooden pallets, cars filled with gas and boxes of oranges have all been found under the Los Angeles bridge, officials said. Los Angeles firefighters mop up damage from a fire that severely damaged Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

Persons: Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Gavin Newsom, “, ” Newsom, Bass, Newsom, ”, Firefighters, Richard Vogel, Kristin Crowley, Crowley Organizations: CNN, Los, Angeles Mayor, Los Angeles Fire Department, California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, Sunday, Department of Transportation, LA Unified School District, Los Angeles Locations: Los Angeles, Alameda Street, California, Los Angeles County, Philadelphia

☆ Los Angeles’ I-10 remains closed indefinitely as damaging fire is investigated as arson. Here’s what we know
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Taylor Romine | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Investigators are working to determine who is responsible for a massive fire over the weekend that has forced the indefinite closure of part of Los Angeles’ Interstate 10, as fire officials say the blaze was likely arson. Residents who are impacted have been urged to take public transit, work from home or plan for significant traffic delays. Investigators have sifted through the fire’s rubble in search of evidence and are working with Los Angeles firefighters to canvass the surrounding neighborhoods for potential witnesses and video footage, the fire marshal added. Firefighters responded to reports of the fire around 12:30 a.m. Saturday at a storage yard scattered with pallets, trailers and vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. About 100 columns beneath the bridge were impacted by fire and are being inspected, according to transportation department director Tony Tavares.

Persons: Karen Bass, “, Daniel Berlant, Berlant, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, ”, ” Bass, ” Newsom, Kristin Crowley, Jae C, ” John Yang, Yang, Tony Tavares, Transportation Toks Omishakin, ” Yang Organizations: CNN —, ”, “, Firefighters, Los Angeles Fire Department, California Department of Transportation, Transportation, Apex Development, CNN Locations: Los Angeles, City, Los Angeles County, California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A major highway near downtown Los Angeles was closed in both directions Saturday after a fire rampaged through storage lots underneath it. The California Department of Transportations sent personnel to inspect the highway, with detours established to ease snarled highway traffic. Interstate 10, which runs east-west, was closed near downtown Los Angeles for at least 24 hours into Sunday, authorities said. The fire department said the blaze burned through trailers, wood pallets and other things in storage lots on both sides of the highway, though firefighters successfully safeguarded three nearby commercial buildings. Political Cartoons View All 1240 ImagesFire department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said there were no injuries reported from the fire, which was mostly extinguished by late morning.

Persons: detours, hasn't, Margaret Stewart Organizations: ANGELES, California Department, Transportations Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Thousands without power as California storms bring rain, snow and cold
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The Los Angeles river during a rare cold winter storm in the Los Angeles area, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Aude GuerrucciFeb 25 (Reuters) - Nearly 85,000 households and businesses were without power in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, as storms continued to pummel parts of California, bringing snow to higher elevations and dumping rain and hail in the flatlands. In Southern California, "this is a rare case of a cold, significant storm event," Jackson said. On Saturday, scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms were expected to bring rain, hail and a mixture of snow and moisture called "graupel" to the area, the National Weather Service said. Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Video shows 8-car pileup after a Tesla allegedly using Full Self-Driving stopped in a highway tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Surveillance video shows a Tesla stopping in a San Francisco tunnel and the resulting eight-car pileup. The Tesla driver said at the time of the accident that he had been using the carmaker's Full Self-Driving software. The video from The Intercept reporter Ken Klippenstein shows the Tesla moving into the left lane with its blinker and quickly coming to a stop in front of another car. On the day of the pile-up, a witness to the scene, Shayna Kelly of San Francisco, told KTVU that she saw the Tesla abruptly swerving. A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told Insider the agency had launched an investigation into the crash.

☆ Massive waves, power outages plague California coastal community amid storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kate Fishman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] A member of a Pacific Gas & Electric crew works to repair a power line, following storms in Mendocino, California, U.S. January 5, 2023. At the southern end of Mendocino county, the small towns of Point Arena and Gualala have been largely without power for around 24 hours. About 2,500 households and businesses were without power in the county, which is home to about 91,000 people. California's storied coast road, Highway 1, is closed in four places in Mendocino County because of fallen trees, the California Department of Transportation said. The high tide brought swells that washed debris across the beach and its parking lot, the high waves crashing into the mouth of the Noyo River.

☆ 5.4 magnitude earthquake hits Northern California, causing outages and damages
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

An earthquake struck Northern California on Sunday for the second time in less than two weeks, causing power outages and damages, officials said. The New Year's Day earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 and struck about 9 miles southeast of Rio Dell in Humboldt County just after 10:30 a.m. local time (1:35 p.m. As a precaution, the California Department of Transportation temporarily closed State Route 211 at Fernbridge Road to conduct safety inspections, the sheriff's office said, warning of traffic delays. The earthquake comes days after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the region on Dec. 20, killing two people and injuring at least a dozen others, while leaving thousands in the dark. Two people, ages 72 and 83, died from medical emergencies after the December quake, Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal previously told reporters.

☆ 'Atmospheric river' floods Northern California and may have contributed to at least 3 deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Sunday afternoon, mandatory evacuations were activated for residents of the Point Pleasant community south of the city of Sacramento, Sacramento County officials said. "Flooding in the area is imminent," the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services said in a statement. NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported that dozens of motorists have been rescued from vehicles stranded in high waters in Sacramento County. Nearby Oakland, however, set its one-day record by scoring 4.75 inches of rain, the National Weather Service said. "Precipitation chances will ramp up again Monday and Tuesday as a series of Pacific Storm systems continues to impact the region," the National Weather Service said.

☆ Photos show record California floods led to boat rescues, mudslides, and breached levees. More rain is coming.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An atmospheric river dumped record rainfall across Nothern California on New Year's Eve. A car is partially submerged on a flooded road after heavy rains in San Francisco, California, December 31, 2022, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesOakland saw its wettest day on record on Saturday, and San Francisco was just shy of its record. Another person died after being pulled from the waters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In Tahoe, the atmospheric river dumped snow onto roadways that left some drivers stranded and prompted authorities to close major roadways.

☆ Magnitude 5.4 earthquake strikes northern California
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 1 (Reuters) - A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck 15 km (9.3 miles) southeast of California's Rio Dell region, an area still recovering from a powerful earthquake last month. The latest earthquake was at a depth of 27.8 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Sunday. The California Department of Transportation said in a Twitter post that State Route 211 at Fernbridge was closed while it conducted safety inspections on the bridge following the tremor. That same region of California, located in Humboldt County, was jolted by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on Dec. 20, which crumpled homes and roads, ruptured utility lines and left thousands of residents without running water and electricity. In the previous quake, at least a dozen people were injured, and two others died from medical emergencies that occurred during or just after the quake, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office.

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