(SOLVANG, Calif.) — Over 1,000 firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in Southern California that has scorched over 65,000 acres, prompted evacuation orders and caused three injuries, according to officials.
The Gifford Fire, which began on Friday afternoon, is situated within the Los Padres National Forest in Solvang, California, impacting those within Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, officials said. As of Monday, the fire has engulfed 65,062 acres and is only 3% contained, according to Cal Fire.
While the flames have been centered around thick brush and rugged terrain, officials said 460 structures are threatened by this wildfire.
On Sunday, officials said the fire “showed significant growth as it aligned with topographical features, especially in grass-dominated areas.”
Evacuation orders and warnings are in effect for areas in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, and Highway 166 has been closed due to flames burning on both sides of the road, officials said.
Three people have been injured from the wildfire, including one civilian who was hospitalized for burn injuries and two contractor employees who were injured in a UTV rollover incident, officials said on Saturday.
An air quality alert in Cuyama, California, and an air quality watch for the rest of Santa Barbara County will remain in effect “until conditions improve,” the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District said on Saturday.
“If you see or smell smoke in the air, be cautious and use common sense to protect your and your family’s health. Everyone, especially people with heart or lung conditions, older adults, pregnant women and children, should limit time spent outdoors and avoid outdoor exercise when high concentrations of smoke and particles are in the air,” the air pollution control district said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
The fire is located west of the Madre Fire, which burned over 80,000 acres and was fully contained on July 26, officials said.
(LOS ANGELES) — Erik Menendez is back in prison — weeks ahead of his parole hearing — after an extended hospitalization, sources confirmed to ABC News.
On July 22, ABC News learned the 54-year-old was in the hospital. The younger Menendez brother was suffering from kidney stones, Los Angeles ABC station KABC reported.
Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are both serving their time at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, will soon take a new step toward release.
The brothers were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. Lyle Menendez was 21 and Erik Menendez was 18 at the time of the murders.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has fought against their release, calling the brothers’ claims of self-defense part of a litany of “lies.” But the brothers have the support of over 20 family members in their efforts to be freed.
This May, Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them eligible for parole.
The brothers will appear at a parole hearing on Aug. 21.
(LOS ANGELES) — Two people were killed and six others were injured in a mass shooting at an apparent afterparty in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said.
Around 11 p.m. Sunday, officers saw someone run into a location that appeared to be a party with about 50 to 60 people in attendance, Los Angeles Police Department commanding officer Letisia Ruiz said. One person was arrested for possession of a firearm, police said, and officers locked down the scene, cleared it and left for another call.
Then, around 1 a.m. Monday, police received a radio call for shots fired, and officers responded to the location again and found several people struck by gunfire, Ruiz said. The eight gunshot victims were all adults, police said. One of the injured was listed in critical condition, police said.
Police have no suspect information and no motive, Ruiz said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Hundreds of wildfires still burning in Canada are expected to undermine air quality across the Upper Midwest and Northeast into Tuesday.
At least 738 wildfires are currently burning in Canada, with at least 201 out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
As a result, at least eight states from Wisconsin to Maine were under air quality alerts as of Monday morning due to wildfire smoke.
Heavy smoke will run through that corridor on Monday, with hazy skies expected from Green Bay, through Detroit and New York City to Boston.
Detroit and Chicago begin Monday listed among the world’s 10 worst major cities for air quality.
Those living under alerts should limit outside exertion and keep their windows closed, officials said. Alerts may remain in place through Tuesday with smoke still lingering.
(NEW YORK) — A small earthquake rattled some parts of the New York City area Saturday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The epicenter of the 3.0 magnitude quake was northeast of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, in Bergen County, about 10 kilometers below the surface, USGS said.
Though the quake was relatively minor, there were reports of brief shaking in parts of the area.
In a statement posted on social media, New York City Emergency Management said tremors may have been felt in parts of New York City but that there were no reports of injuries or damage in the city.
Xan Davidson, a USGS analyst, told ABC News that while earthquakes are relatively rare on the East Coast, a magnitude 3.0 is not considered a significant quake.
“We would not expect there to be a lot of damage,” Davidson said. “It would just be shaking.”
In April 2024, New York City and New Jersey were rocked by a rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake, which officials said was one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast in the last century.
That quake was centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and shook buildings from Philadelphia to New Jersey and New York City to Connecticut and Westchester, New York.
“Earthquakes do happen here, but it’s not something that happens frequently,” Davidson said, referencing the 2024 quake.
Davidson said the wide area of people who reported feeling Saturday’s quake — reaching as far as Connecticut — is not unexpected and that there was little cause for alarm.
(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) — Tennessee man was taken into custody Friday after authorities allege he threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement and was then discovered with 14 improvised explosive devices in his home when investigators arrived to arrest him.
Kevin Wade O’Neal, 54, was arrested at a residence in Old Fort, about 40 miles east of Chattanooga, near the Georgia border, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was there that authorities allege they found the IEDs, including one that was “smoldering” in the bedroom, according to investigators.
The sheriff’s office said investigators believe O’Neal attempted to detonate the devices when officers arrived at the home.
In addition to the sheriff’s office, members of the Chattanooga Police Department bomb squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene.
O’Neal has been charged with several counts of attempted murder, as well as charges related to prohibited weapons and explosives.
Details of the targets of the alleged threats and an alleged motive were not immediately revealed by the police.
O’Neal is being held at the Polk County Jail and his bond has not yet been determined.
Attorney information for O’Neal wasn’t immediately available.
(DERRY TOWNSHIP, PA) — The death of a 9-year-old girl who drowned at Hersheypark has been ruled accidental, with no criminal activity found on the part of the park’s employees, according to police.
Sophia Subedi drowned on July 24 in the wave pool at the Pennsylvania theme park, the Derry Township Police Department said.
A review by police concluded that the park upheld safety standards and that the number of people in the wave pool at the time was “significantly less than it’s designed maximum capacity,” according to a Derry Township Police statement released on Friday.
Hersheypark had 10 lifeguards working specifically at the wave pool when Sophia drowned, the park said last month.
“Witnesses and lifeguards responded promptly, initiating rescue and resuscitation efforts within seconds of noticing Sophia’s distress,” police said. “The Derry Township Police Department, along with the witnesses, Hersheypark staff, and first responders who attempted to save Sophia, extend their sincere condolences to her family and friends, as well as the Bhutanese community, during this difficult time.”
“Our hearts break for this child and the child’s family. We extend our deepest condolences for their loss,” John Lawn, Hersheypark’s CEO, in a statement on July 24, adding that park-goers’ “safety and well-being drive every decision we make.”
(WASHINGTON) — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History removed references to President Donald Trump’s two impeachment proceedings from an exhibit on the “Limits of Presidential Power,” a Smithsonian spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. The spokesperson said a future exhibit will include all presidential impeachments.
The museum decided to “restore” the section of a permanent exhibition to its “2008 appearance” because various topics had not been updated since that year and therefore they removed references to Trump, the Smithsonian spokesperson told ABC News on Thursday.
Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice.
“In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the ‘Limits of Presidential Power’ section in The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden exhibition needed to be addressed. The section of this exhibition covers Congress, The Supreme Court, Impeachment, and Public Opinion,” the spokesperson said.
The exhibit now only includes references to the impeachment proceedings against Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868, Richard Nixon in 1973 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Nixon is the only U.S. president to resign following the commencement of impeachment proceedings.
While serving as the 45th President of the United States, Trump was first impeached twice by Congress during his first term – with the first proceeding beginning on Dec. 18, 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction in connection with an alleged quid pro quo call with the Ukrainian president. Trump was acquitted when the trial concluded in the Senate on Feb. 5, 2020.
Following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Trump was impeached for a second time on Jan. 13, 2021, on the charge of incitement of insurrection, but was again acquitted on Feb. 13, 2021, days after he left office after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.
Trump denied all wrongdoing in both of his impeachment cases.
Following Trump’s first impeachment proceeding, the Smithsonian released a statement on Jan. 21, 2020, about the collection of objects regarding Trump’s impeachment.
The statement said that as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History “actively engages,” with history, curators are following Trump’s impeachment trial and will determine “which objects best represent these historic events for inclusion in the national collection.”
The Smithsonian spokesperson on Thursday said the museum “installed a temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump” in Sept. 2021, which was “intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025.”
“A large permanent gallery like The American Presidency that opened in 2000, requires a significant amount of time and funding to update and renew. A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments,” the spokesperson added, in explaining the removal of Trump references.
An online description of the exhibit of the Smithsonian’s website still referenced Trump’s two impeachments as of Friday morning.
The removal of references of Trump’s impeachments was first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday. The report cited “a person familiar with the exhibit plans, who was not authorized to discuss them publicly,” who told the Post that “the change came about as part of a content review that the Smithsonian agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director.”
Asked by ABC News about this claim, the Smithsonian spokesperson did not immediately comment.
The Smithsonian affirmed its autonomy from outside influences in a June 9 statement after President Trump announced that he fired National Portrait Gallery head Kim Sajet for allegedly being a “highly partisan person.” Sajet resigned on June 13, a Smithsonian spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
“Throughout its history, the Smithsonian has been governed and administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary. The board is entrusted with the governance and independence of the Institution, and the board appoints a Secretary to manage the Institution. All personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with oversight by the Board. Lonnie G. Bunch, the Secretary, has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian,” the statement said.
“The Board of Regents is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence, and we recognize that our institution can and must do more to further these foundational values,” the Smithsonian added.
Trump signed an executive order in March placing Vice President J.D. Vance in charge of supervising efforts to “remove improper ideology” from all areas of the Smithsonian and targeted funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”
The order — called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” — directed Vance and Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum to restore federal parks, monuments, memorials and statues “that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.”
(TIPTONVILLE, Tenn.) — A manhunt is underway for a 29-year-old man who allegedly killed four people and left their baby alive, Tennessee authorities said.
Austin Robert Drummond is considered armed and dangerous following the killings of 38-year-old Cortney Rose, Rose’s children 20-year-old Adrianna Williams and 15-year-old Braydon Williams, and Adrianna Williams’ boyfriend, 21-year-old James “Michael” Wilson, according to authorities and family.
The victims were killed on Tuesday and found along a road in Lake County, in northwest Tennessee near the state’s borders with Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky, authorities said.
The same day, Wilson and Williams’ baby was left in a car seat in a “random individual’s front yard” in nearby Dyer County, according to the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office and Danny Goodman, district attorney for Dyer and Lake counties.
The infant was treated by paramedics and is now safe and being cared for, authorities said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the killings were not random. Investigators believe Drummond knew the victims, Goodman said.
Drummond is wanted on four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, the TBI said.
“While this was an extremely tragic and violent event,” the TBI said on social media, “there was a sign of compassion … that tells us there’s a possibility that Austin may have a sense that there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened.”
TBI Director David Rausch said authorities believe Drummond is still in the area. Drummond’s white 2016 Audi has been found in Jackson, Tennessee, and Drummond has ties to Jackson, officials said.
Goodman said Drummond had been out on bond for an attempted murder charge, which stemmed from an alleged incident while he was in prison for attempted robbery.
A $15,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his arrest.
Authorities urge anyone with information to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
(ANACONDA, Mont.) — Four people were killed in a shooting at a bar in Anaconda in western Montana, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
The shooting suspect, Michael Paul Brown, is at large and believed to be armed and dangerous, the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center said.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said on social media that he’s “closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
