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(WASHINGTON) — While Capitol Police are marking six months since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by touting changes the agency has made to better prepare for such incidents, Congress continues its push for further investigations into the deadly incident.

In a letter released by the Capitol Police Tuesday morning, acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman paid tribute to the officers who lost their lives defending the Capitol in January and charted a path forward for the agency.

“We will never forget USCP Officers Brian Sicknick and Howie Liebengood, who died after the attack, nor the sacrifices of the nearly 150 law enforcement officers who were injured,” she wrote. “Throughout the last six months, the United States Capitol Police has been working around the clock with our Congressional stakeholders to support our officers, enhance security around the Capitol Complex, and pivot towards an intelligence-based protective agency.”

A Jan. 6 rally in support of then-President Donald Trump turned deadly after Trump encouraged his supporters to march to Capitol Hill, where Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden’s election win.

Rioters breached barricades and security checkpoints, forcing Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers to evacuate or shelter in place and temporarily disrupting the certification. Five people, including Sicknick, died during or after the riot, 140 police officers were injured and the Capitol building suffered approximately $1.5 million in damage.

Pittman touted changes the agency has made since then, such as increased information sharing and training.

She wrote that the U.S. Capitol Police have opened offices in Florida and California to monitor threats outside the district, with more offices set to open, and is working with congressional oversight committees so the Capitol Police can immediately request assistance from the National Guard.

The National Guard, which was stationed at the Capitol since Jan. 6, left on May 24.

“Those are just some of the improvements the United States Capitol Police is making, with the support of our Congressional stakeholders, in the wake of the January 6 attack,” Pittman wrote.

The Justice Department has charged more than 500 people with actions related to the riot at the Capitol — with crimes ranging from misdemeanors to conspiracy.

The FBI is still on the hunt for the suspect who it said placed pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee the night before the riot.

The U.S. Capitol has seen an increase in physical security measures since the riot as well.

In a statement, Capitol police said they don’t discuss plans due to security concerns, but the outer permitter of the fencing that has been around the Capitol since right after the attack came down on March 24 and the remainder is slated to come down this week, sources familiar with the plan told ABC News.

The move comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a House committee to investigate the events of Jan. 6 last week after Republicans in the Senate blocked the creation of a bipartisan committee to investigate the attack in a late May vote.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pointed to investigative work being done by Senate committees, most notably a joint effort by the Senate Rules and Homeland Security, as evidence for why a bipartisan commission was not needed.

That joint effort yielded a 95-page report that found significant breakdowns ranging “from federal intelligence agencies failing to warn of a potential for violence to a lack of planning and preparation by (U.S. Capitol Police) and law enforcement leadership.”

But the joint report was narrow in scope and did not examine events leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Democrats called for further action, prompting Pelosi to form the select committee.

She tapped GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, who was stripped from her No. 3 leadership position in the House Republican conference due to her criticism of Trump, to serve on the committee, along with seven other Democrats.

“We are very honored and proud she has agreed to serve on the committee,” Pelosi told reporters Thursday.

House Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., will serve as chairman, which was widely expected.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is allowed to appoint five Republicans to the committee, in consultation with Pelosi, who has ultimate veto power, but McCarthy has not yet named Republican members to the committee.

ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — The tropical storm’s path is sparing Miami, where rescuers are still searching for victims of the deadly Surfside condo collapse.

Elsa will pass the Tampa Bay area overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and is forecast to make landfall just north of Tampa Bay before sunrise.

Tampa International Airport is suspending operations at 5 p.m. Tuesday with plans to resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Elsa’s winds are expected to reach 70 mph at the time of landfall; storms need winds 74 mph or higher to be considered a hurricane.

Storm surge could reach 5 feet around Tampa Bay, an area very susceptible to flooding due to the coastal, low-lying topography.

The heaviest rainfall — 6 to 10 inches — will be north of Tampa.

Flooding is possible for most of Florida — from Naples to Jacksonville — and could extend into Georgia.

Residents should be prepared to be without power for the next few days, but widespread evacuations aren’t expected, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.

After barreling through Florida, Elsa will join a cold front and will become a hybrid storm system, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to Georgia, the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic by later in the week.

Elsa is expected to reemerge off the New Jersey coast, dropping heavy rain and winds on Atlantic City, New York City, Long Island, Boston and Cape Cod.

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At least 32 people, including three children, have been confirmed dead and 113 others remain unaccounted for since a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last month.

Four more bodies were recovered, officials announced Tuesday morning.

The partial collapse occurred around 1:15 a.m. on June 24 at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to officials. Since then, hundreds of first responders have been carefully combing through the pancaked layers of debris in hopes of finding survivors.

The part of the building that remained standing was cleared of any people or pets before it was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns about its structural integrity. However, it was too dangerous for surviving residents to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, officials said.

“Obviously it wasn’t worth that risk,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Surfside on Monday. “We cannot lose any more people.”

The massive search and rescue mission is now in its 13th day, as teams are able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible. At least four more bodies have been recovered from the wreckage since the demolition.

“The heavy equipment is now able to move around the site as needed,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at the press conference. “The looming threat of that building, the dangerous situation where debris could fall down is now eliminated.”

Burkett told reporters that the search and rescue operation will continue 24 hours a day until everyone is pulled from the rubble. But the hope that more people would be found alive appeared to be fading, as no survivors have been discovered in the debris since the morning of the partial collapse. Among those recently found dead was the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter.

Meanwhile, 190 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for and are safe, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who has stressed that the figures are “very fluid.”

Video released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on Monday night showed crews working atop the pile, braving the elements as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the Sunshine State.

The incoming storm, which has weakened from a hurricane, initiated the discussion about demolishing the rest of the building and fast-tracked the process, according to Burkett. Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday and by Tuesday morning, the storm’s center was moving through Key West with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

The cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation.

Built in the 1980s, the Champlain Towers South was up for its 40-year recertification and had been undergoing roof work — with more renovations planned — when it partially collapsed, according to officials.

A structural field survey report from October 2018, which was among hundreds of pages of public documents released by the town of Surfside late Sunday, said the waterproofing below the condominium’s pool deck and entrance drive was failing and causing “major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas.”

A slew of lawsuits against the Champlain Towers South Condo Association have already been filed on behalf of survivors and victims, alleging the partial collapse could have been avoided and that the association knew or should have known about the structural damage. A spokesperson for the association told ABC News they cannot comment on pending litigation but that their “focus remains on caring for our friends and neighbors during this difficult time.”

The association’s board released a statement last Friday saying its surviving members “have concluded that, in the best interest of all concerned parties, an independent Receiver should be appointed to oversee the legal and claims process.”

“We know that answers will take time as part of a comprehensive investigation,” the statement continued, “and we will continue to work with city, state, local, and federal officials in their rescue efforts, and to understand the causes of this tragedy.”

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(NEW YORK) — David and Sabrina Jaramillo took their family to an amusement park on Saturday to celebrate their eldest son’s birthday, hoping to “have a good time.” But a tragic accident on a water ride left one of their children dead and another in a medically induced coma.

“I will never get a chance to see him grow up or get a chance to see him graduate,” Sabrina Jaramillo told ABC News in an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday on Good Morning America.

“He was just taken from us,” David Jaramillo added. “Love your kids. You just don’t know when they’ll be taken.”

The Jaramillos had gone on several other rides before getting in line for the Raging River at Adventureland Park, a family-owned amusement park in Altoona, a suburb of Iowa’s capital city, Des Moines. The parents boarded a raft with their 15-year-old son, David, their 11-year-old son, Michael, their youngest son, Gus, and their niece, Mila. As they buckled their seatbelts and embarked on the river rapids ride, their tube suddenly flipped over, leaving them all trapped underwater.

“I see the silhouettes of my sons trying to grab each other, grab us,” the father recalled. “They want us to help them. We couldn’t do it.”

Both parents as well as one of their sons and their niece ultimately managed to break free and swim to the surface. But David and Michael were still stuck and no one could reach them.

“I’m drowning,” the father said. “The river was so intense, it was like a suction.”

The family screamed for help. Witnesses and first responders jumped in the water and eventually helped get the other kids out of the tube.

Both David and Michael were transported to a local hospital in critical condition, while the others were treated for minor injuries. Michael died from his injuries on Sunday, while David remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Altoona Police Department.

“Our thoughts and prayers are are with the Jaramillo family as they navigate the heartbreaking loss of their child,” police said in a statement Monday. “Altoona Detective are working with the State Inspector and Adventureland Park to understand this tragic accident.”

The Jaramillos described Michael as a “good kid.”

“His heart was bigger than him,” the father told ABC News.

“He was a baby and I feel like Adventureland robbed me of my baby,” the mother added, breaking down in tears.

Adventureland Park said in a statement Sunday that it was “saddened to learn of the passing of one Guest.” An investigation into the deadly incident is ongoing and the ride remains closed for a “thorough inspection,” the park said. The Raging River ride was last inspected on Friday and “was found to be in sound working order,” according to the park.

“Adventureland is working closely with both the State and local authorities, and would like to thank them again for their efforts,” the park added. “At this time, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the Guest and their family, as well as for our team members who were onsite.”

An attorney for Adventureland Park insisted that the Raging River ride is “safe.”

“The Raging River ride has been in operation for nearly four decades,” the attorney told ABC News in a statement Monday. “The ride was inspected by the State of Iowa the day before the incident and was in good working order.”

But it’s not the first fatal accident to occur on that ride. A seasonal employee, 68-year-old Steve Booher, was killed in June 2106 after falling onto the conveyor belt while helping guests get in and out of their rafts.

The Jaramillos have been in the hospital by David’s side, waiting for their eldest son to wake up from the medically induced coma as he fights for his life. He turns 16 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, their youngest son, Gus, is struggling to cope with what happened.

“He’s scared. It is a nightmare,” the father told ABC News. “He closes his eyes and thinks about the water. When he wakes up, he realizes the nightmare’s true. So there’s no peace.”

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(HOUSTON) — Two women have been arrested for allegedly stealing a 14-week-old French bulldog puppy worth thousands of dollars from a Texas pet store.

The alleged theft occurred at approximately 12:25 p.m. at the Petland Woodlands store in Shenandoah, about 30 miles north of Houston. Local police received a call from the pet store saying that two women had just run out of the establishment with a puppy, according to a report from ABC News’ Houston station KTRK-TV.

“[The two women] asked to see a French bulldog, which we allowed them to see per our protocol, and they immediately took the dog and ran out the door,” Petland Woodlands manager Andrew Jones told KTRK. “Our employees went outside to get a description of the vehicle.”

Jones said his employees immediately called 911 and that authorities found the two women near the Woodlands Mall, attempting to reattach the license plates onto a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser that they allegedly fled the scene of the crime in.

“They were smart enough to take the license plate off but not smart enough to wait until they were further away before they put it back on,” Jones told KTRK.

Both women were taken into custody on July 5, shortly after the incident. It was unclear what charges they face.

The puppy, named Mario, who is worth an estimated $10,000, was returned to the pet store, where he is doing well and receiving a lot of attention, according to Jones.

Jones said it’s not the first time that this kind of theft has been attempted at one of his stores.

“This happens more often than we would like to say,” he told KTRK. “French bulldogs are very highly sought after and, as a result, it is what people are attempting to steal.”

Jones said his business has procedures in place to prevent such burglaries, including a security system with 36 different cameras and additional staff members on the clock.

The store also asks for proof of identity if someone expresses interest in buying a puppy but does not require ID just to play with the dogs because it is important for the animals to get as much play time as possible, according to Jones, who said he will be evaluating if this is the safest and most secure procedure.

“We are relieved that Mario was safely returned to his Petland family and that he is unharmed,” he told KTRK. “Our thanks to the dedicated men and women of the Shenandoah Police Department for responding immediately and helping us bring Mario home.”

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(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — At least 28 people, including three children, have been confirmed dead and 117 others remain unaccounted for since a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last month.

The partial collapse occurred around 1:15 a.m. on June 24 at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to officials. Since then, hundreds of first responders have been carefully combing through the pancaked layers of debris in hopes of finding survivors.

The part of the building that remained standing was cleared of any people or pets before it was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns about its structural integrity. However, it was too dangerous for surviving residents to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, officials said.

“Obviously it wasn’t worth that risk,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Surfside on Monday. “We cannot lose any more people.”

The massive search and rescue mission is now in its 13th day, as teams are able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible. At least four more bodies have been recovered from the wreckage since the demolition.

“The heavy equipment is now able to move around the site as needed,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at the press conference. “The looming threat of that building, the dangerous situation where debris could fall down is now eliminated.”

Burkett told reporters that the search and rescue operation will continue 24 hours a day until everyone is pulled from the rubble. But the hope that more people would be found alive appeared to be fading, as no survivors have been discovered in the debris since the morning of the partial collapse. Among those recently found dead was the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter.

Meanwhile, 190 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for and are safe, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who has stressed that the figures are “very fluid.”

Video released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on Monday night showed crews working atop the pile, braving the elements as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the Sunshine State.

The incoming storm, which has weakened from a hurricane, initiated the discussion about demolishing the rest of the building and fast-tracked the process, according to Burkett. Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday and by early Tuesday, the storm’s center was about 50 miles west of Key West, according to the National Weather Service.

The cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation.

Built in the 1980s, the Champlain Towers South was up for its 40-year recertification and had been undergoing roof work — with more renovations planned — when it partially collapsed, according to officials.

A structural field survey report from October 2018, which was among hundreds of pages of public documents released by the town of Surfside late Sunday, said the waterproofing below the condominium’s pool deck and entrance drive was failing and causing “major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas.”

A slew of lawsuits against the Champlain Towers South Condo Association have already been filed on behalf of survivors and victims, alleging the partial collapse could have been avoided and that the association knew or should have known about the structural damage. A spokesperson for the association told ABC News they cannot comment on pending litigation but that their “focus remains on caring for our friends and neighbors during this difficult time.”

The association’s board released a statement last Friday saying its surviving members “have concluded that, in the best interest of all concerned parties, an independent Receiver should be appointed to oversee the legal and claims process.”

“We know that answers will take time as part of a comprehensive investigation,” the statement continued, “and we will continue to work with city, state, local, and federal officials in their rescue efforts, and to understand the causes of this tragedy.”

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(NEW YORK) — Child drownings are on the rise, according to a new report, and experts warn that the pandemic has also put kids at an increased drowning risk this year.

“It was really hard for people to access swimming lessons last year,” Dr. Ben Hoffman, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention, told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “And from what I understand this year, it still remains challenging, because things have booked up pretty early.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently found an increase in pool- or spa-related fatal drowning incidents among children under age 15. There were a total of 404 fatalities in 2018, compared to 395 in 2017 and 392 in 2016.

While there was a decrease in non-fatal injuries in 2020 — 5,800 injuries related to pool or spa submersions in children under 15 compared to the 6,300 in 2019 and 6,400 in 2018 — the report states that the decrease was likely due to COVID-19, which saw the shutdown of public spaces nationwide.

Now, with the country reopening, experts say that we could see those numbers rise once again.

“Year over year, we’ve almost doubled our drownings, unfortunately,” Dr. Patrick Mularoni, a pediatric emergency physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, said.

Of those reported fatal drowning incidents between 2016 and 2018, 75% involved children under age 5, and 83% occurred at residential pools.

Last June, Emily Friske was isolating with her family in Valley Center, California, when her daughter Addie wandered off to the family pool. Friske later found Addie in it, on her side and not breathing.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare,” Friske told Good Morning America.

A former EMT, Friske and her husband, Jordan, performed CPR on Addie until an ambulance arrived.

“I thought, ‘This can’t be happening to us,'” Friske said.

Addie didn’t have a pulse for 20 minutes, and doctors worried she would have brain damage as a result, but she was awake within 24 hours. Her pediatrician called her recovery “miraculous” and told the family that doing CPR made all the difference.

“Please learn CPR,” Friske urged other families.

Learning CPR is among the CPSC’s top advice for how families can visit the pool safely this summer, particularly as experts warn that the pandemic has only increased the risk of drownings for children.

“As we enter the summer months, parents and caregivers must be mindful of the pandemic’s impact on their children’s swimming ability and water safety skills,” Robert Adler, the CPSC acting chairman, said in a statement.

Other advice from the CPSC includes never leaving a child in or near water unattended and installing proper barriers around a pool.

“Make sure that you designate someone to keep an eye on the children in and around the water each and every time,” Nychelle Fleming of the CPSC said.

But chiefly among these tips is making sure children know how to swim.

“As pools start to open up, I think it’s very important for parents to sign their children up for swim classes and get those kids learning how to swim,” Mularoni said.

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(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — Search and rescue teams have recovered four additional bodies in the pile of rubble from a collapsed building in Surfside, Florida, following the demolition of the remaining building, according to officials.

First responders were able to search in areas previously inaccessible due to the instability of the portion of Champlain Towers South that still stood following the partial collapse on June 24, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters at a press conference Monday morning.

Three bodies were recovered in the morning and an additional body was found in the afternoon, according to officials.

The death toll now stands at 28, with 117 still unaccounted for, Levine Cava said. The newly accessible areas were likely where a lot of the master bedrooms were located, where people were sleeping, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters.

While the demolition was critical to expanding the search for bodies closer to the standing building, it was also necessary as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the U.S. with winds that “could have brought it down in a matter that could not have been as controlled or predicted,” the mayor said.

The demolition went “exactly as planned,” and the building fell away from the pile that collapsed, Levine Cava said.

“Only dust landed on the existing part,” she said.

Crews received the “all-clear” about an hour after the demolition started around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, and first responders resumed the search by 1 a.m.

Levine Cava emphasized that search and rescue crews “took every action we possibly could” to search for pets that remained in the building prior to the demolition. Multiple full sweeps of the building, which included searches in hiding places such as closets and under beds, were conducted “at great risk to first responders,” the mayor said.

In areas of the building that were not accessible, ladders were used to place live animal traps on balconies, and doorways were opened to give pets the means to escape if they were able to, Levine Cava said. Drones with thermal imaging were also used.

“We went to truly great lengths to take every step that we could,” she said.

Levine Cava described the decision to collapse the entire apartment building as “devastating,” acknowledging the “great tragedy” for the surviving residents of the building, in addition to those who lost loved ones.

“To lose your home and all your belongings in this manner is a great loss as well,” she said.

Officials said it was too dangerous for survivors to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, DeSantis said.

“Obviously it wasn’t worth that risk,” he said. “We can not lose any more people.”

FEMA has been successful in signing families up for assistance, and the city has raised millions of dollars from donations around the world to assist survivors as well, Levine Cava said.

Although the forecast for Tropical Storm Elsa has the center of the storm on the west coast of Florida, there will still be intermittent heavy rain and localized flooding as well as strong gusty winds and the possibility of tornadoes in the region, which could still affect search efforts, said Robert Molleda, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service South Florida.

ABC News’ Rachel Katz contributed to this report.

 

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(ALTOONA, Iowa) — A boy is dead and another child is in critical condition after a raft overturned on a water ride at an amusement park.

The accident occurred at 7:35 p.m. local time on Saturday at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, when a boat on the Raging River ride overturned with six riders on it, according to a statement from the amusement park.

Three of the passengers were rushed to hospitals in critical condition while a fourth passenger suffered minor injuries, the Altoona Police Department said in a statement.

Eleven-year-old Michael Jaramillo died on Sunday as a result of his injuries, police said. Another juvenile was still in critical condition as of Monday afternoon, according to the police.

“Altoona Fire and Police were on the property and responded immediately,” Adventureland Park in its initial statement on Saturday night. “We want to thank them as well as Des Moines, Ankeny, Bondurant, Pleasant Hill and Delaware Township Emergency Services for their fast response … Our thoughts are with the affected families at this time.”

Adventureland Park said the ride had been inspected the day before and “was found to be in good working order” at the time of the accident. The Raging River ride will remain closed for more inspection.

The park released a second statement on Sunday night about the death of an injured rider.

“Adventureland is saddened to learn of the passing of one Guest involved in the Raging River accident on the evening of 7/3/21,” the statement said. “This investigation is ongoing and the ride remains closed. Adventureland is working closely with both the State and local authorities, and would like to thank them again for their efforts. At this time, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the Guest and their family, as well as for our team members who were onsite.”

This is reportedly not the first fatal accident to have taken place in connection with the Raging River ride at Adventureland Park.

According to the Des Moines Register, 68-year-old Adventureland Park employee Steve Booher died in 2016 while working on the ride. He was helping riders get out of the rafts at the end of the ride and fell onto the conveyor belt, suffering a fractured skull along with a major brain injury, the paper reported. Booher died four days later.

Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration subsequently fined the theme park $4,500, according to the Des Moines Register — the maximum the agency could assess for that type of violation.

An investigation into Saturday’s incident is ongoing and the ride will remain closed during that time.

 

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(LOS ANGELES) — A quick-moving brush fire in Southern California has prompted evacuations for those living along Interstate 5.

The Tumbleweed Fire sparked shortly before 2 p.m. near Gorman, California, about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

By 8 p.m., the fire had exploded to nearly 1,000 acres along the I-5 corridor. It is currently only 10% contained.

The fire was fueled by high winds, gusting between 18 and 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Evacuations were ordered near the Hungry Valley Recreation Area, and two firefighters suffered minor injuries in the blaze, according to the fire department.

No structures have been damaged or destroyed in the fire.

A decades-long mega-drought and scorching temperatures driven by climate change have created tinderbox conditions for wildfires on the West Coast.

The exact cause of the fire is unknown.

Another brush fire that sparked nearby on Sunday, the Dulce Fire near Agua Dulce, about 45 miles north of Los Angeles, was 100% contained at 12 acres.

At least three other fires sparked elsewhere in the state Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

 

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