The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • A1

$2.75 DESIGNATEDAREASHIGHER 2020 latimes.comTHURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 BUSINESS rival LucidMotors unveils Air, its ultra-luxury electric car.A8 years after themost destructive fire in California history tore through Paradise, thesameregionwasunder siege from a second monster fire- storm that quickly grew to more than 250,000 acres, sweeping through mountain hamlets and killing at least threepeople. On Wednesday night, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea once again faced the grim task of an- nouncing victims of the flames, just ashehadforweeksafterthedestruc- tionof theCamp fire. Three bodies were found in the wake of the Bear fire, part of the massive North Complex blazes that raced through northern Sierra Ne- vada foothills before dawnWednes- day. The multiple blazes caught crewsandresidentsoffguardasthey Once again under a fiery siege At least three killed in Butte County as flames call to mind the terror of 2018 By Anita Chabria, Joseph Serna, Matthew Ormseth and Joe Mozingo FLAMES LIGHT UP a hill behind the Bidwell Bar Bridge at Lake Oroville in a long-exposure image takenWednesday amid the Bear fire. Photographs by Noah Berger Associated Press dent Trump said in a taped interview that he deliber- ately downplayed the dan- ger of the coronavirus in public early this year even though he knew it posed a deadly threat to Americans, a revelation that sent shock wavesWednesday through a presidential campaign en- tering thehomestretch.

Thedamagingdisclosure cameinoneof18recordedin- terviews that Trumpgave to veteran journalist Bob Woodward between Decem- ber and July for a book scheduled for publica- tion Tuesday. It exploded into public view on a day when the confirmed U.S. death toll fromCOVID-19ex- ceeded 190,000, a once-un- imaginable tally. The audio recordings in- cluded the ad- mission in February that he knew the coronavirus was thanthecom- mon flu, even though hewas claimingotherwise inpublic. Several weeks later, Trump also acknowledged he was downplaying the pandemic onpurpose.

wanted to always play it Trump toldWood- TRUMP ADMITS PLAYING DOWN VIRUS In a taped interview, he offers stark views on the pandemic at odds with his public statements. By Eli Stokols and Janet Hook PRESIDENT TRUMP gave 18 interviews to journalist BobWoodward for his new book. Evan Vucci Associated Press PALO ALTO, Calif. Shrouded in near darkness, beneath a gloomy, orange sky, Fabian Rios worked to repair a fire hydrant lateWednesday morning. Workingalongsidetheheadlights of his truck, the BayArea utility em- ployee said the lack of light troublinghim.

real problem is the ash fall- ing from the said Rios, who works for the city of Mountain View and was wearing a surgical mask. am just getting As fires rage up and down the WestCoast, the skies overCalifornia have taken an apocalyptic turn choking the air with ash and smoke in some regions, while snuffing out sunlight in others. Rarely have so many Californians breathed such unhealthy air. half of the popula- tion has been impacted by wildfire Half the state is breathing smoky air matter which way the wind By Susanne Rust and Tony Barboza A CREW clears vegetation from around a barnWednesday as the Bear fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County. Smoke, The Rev.

Greg Lewis could barely eat or get out of bed. He struggled to breathe. Doctors confirmed itwasCOVID-19. Even so, the Milwaukee pastor persisted with his work helping Black parish- ioners vote. A couple of weeks into his illness, on March 26, he became lead plaintiff ina suit topostpone presidential pri- mary because of the roaring Thenextday, the62-year- old was rushed to the hospi- tal.

he muttered tohiswife. From intensive care, Lewis kept working the phone, urging fellow Black pastors to do what they could to ensure voters could safely cast ballots. was going to be some fighting on the way he said. Lewis recovered. He re- turned home just before the April 7primaryandwatched the fiasco unfold on televi- sion.

Thousands of mainly A keeper of Black votes inWisconsin Pastor seeks to combat disenfranchisement amid pandemic in key state By Michael Finnegan THE REV. Greg Lewis speaks at aMilwaukee rally in February. He provides rides to the polls and helps people register to vote or secure identification to do so. Mark Hoffman Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Pastor, hepeoplewho lived in the ruggedNorthern Californiamountainhamlet calledSaltCreek wanted their very ownU.S. post office.

Itwas the early1900s, andgetting themail hadbecomesucha chore for this speckof a towndeep in forest, about100miles south, as the crow flies, of theOregonborder.The journey to thenearest post office horseback trail ride near the eponymous take several hours. Besides, a bona fidepost officewould, quite literally, put the community on themap. applicationwas rejectedby theU.S. Postal for a single-word townname. Anexasperated local schoolteacher explained the situa- tionwhile visiting thepostmaster innearbyWeaverville, whowas snackingona sackof COLUMN ONE The nutty story of a town called Peanut Peanut, By Hailey Branson-Potts reporting from peanut, calif.

MORECOVERAGE Pacific Northwest loses hundreds of homes Fires reportedly kill three in Oregon andWashington. NATION, A6 Blaze keeps chewing through San Gabriels People living near the mountains are on high alert. CALIFORNIA, B2 ELECTION 2020 Safety first on virus vaccine Scientist says the sus- pension of a coronavirus study shows there will be PERSPECTIVES, A2 Weather Hazy sunshine. L.A. Basin: Restrictions on Halloween eased L.A.

County officials backtrack on an out- right ban on trick-or- treating. CALIFORNIA, B1.