Three people died and several others were injured as the Bear fire in Plumas National Forest exploded in size, propelled by powerful winds and dry vegetation. One of the victims was found in a car. “Somebody was just attempting to flee and it just didn’t work out,” a police officer said. Hundreds, if not thousands, of structures are thought to have been scorched by the fire. S.F. Chronicle | A.P. | Mercury News

Berry Creek, a rural community of about 1,200 people northeast of Oroville, was reduced to ashes. “I’ve only seen three homes left standing,” a photographer said. Sacramento Bee

In the Sierra National Forest, the Creek fire raced 15 miles in a day.

In Butte County, the Bear fire spread 25 miles in the same amount of time.

And along the Big Sur coast, the already massive Dolan fire doubled in size overnight.

Fire experts said they have been stunned by the incredible speed of blazes now barreling across California. “When you have a fire run 15 miles in one day, in one afternoon, there’s no model that can predict that,” one forester said. “The fires are behaving in such a way that we’ve not seen.” A.P.

California’s wildfires by the numbers as of Wednesday:

See live wildfire maps. 👉 L.A. Times | Cal Fire

Roughly 140 million trees died in California while in the grip of the drought that ended three years ago. Fire experts said that helps explain why the Creek fire spread with such ferocity in the Sierra National Forest. Other Sierra forests crammed with dead trees are similarly primed for monster blazes. “The scale of the problem is enormous,” a forester said. Sacramento Bee

A climate reporter checked in with former Gov. Jerry Brown: “He was all for the individual actions we all know we need to take — change the cars we drive, the foods we eat. But what he really felt we needed to do was harness our values, consolidate our pain into outward pressure and political power, not retreat into fantasy communes.” ProPublica

Other wildfire developments:

On Wednesday, California reported the smallest one-day increase in new coronavirus cases — 1,616 — in almost 4 months. The state’s infection rate is now less than half what it was during the July surge. A few numbers from around the state:

Around 1 a.m. on Aug. 21, a police officer questioned a Black man about why he was inside a Marin County clothing store. The man was the owner, working late to restock shelves. The interaction, shared widely on social media, led to accusations of racial profiling, a heated community meeting, and the retirement of the police sergeant in the video. Now, the police chief is stepping down. A.P. | Marin Independent Journal

Video of the encounter. 👉 @yemacalif

Demonstrations over the Aug. 31 killing of Dijon Kizzee by L.A. County sheriff’s deputies have grown increasingly volatile. Deputies have fired projectiles and tear gas at crowds. On Tuesday, 17 protesters were arrested outside the South Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station for failing to disperse. Officials said they recovered knives, poles, and fireworks. L.A. Daily News | L.A. Times

Los Angeles’s homeless housing now costs more than some luxury condos. According to the city controller, the average cost of building a single unit of housing for the homeless in Los Angeles has risen to $531,000. Two projects soared to nearly $750,0000 per unit. The controller blamed red tape. NBC Los Angeles | L.A. Times

Someone watching a web cam at a San Diego beach noticed that two scruffy-looking guys showed up every morning to pick up litter. A reporter went to investigate and met David Hendon and Marc Gervais, two homeless men who have been cleaning the beach every day for four years out of the kindness of their hearts. “We’re homeless, not moral-less,” Gervais explained. A GoFundMe set up for the men has collected more than $25,000. CBS8

Pictured below are some favorite finds from California’s photo archives, part of an occasional series of posts showcasing the way we were. (See past entries: Unsung women, before they were famous, and style trailblazers).

Today’s theme: Vendors of yore.