a wildfire which has been burning for a week in northern California, USA, was still growing out of control, in what is one of a dozen large-scale conflagrations that have been recorded in a drought-stricken state and have destroyed hundreds of structures and forced thousands of people to evacuate.
There was no containment on Sunday from the Caldor fire, which had ravaged nearly 399 square kilometers (154 square miles) of trees and shrubs north of the Sierra Nevada. The cause of the fire, which broke out on August 14, he was still under investigation and it is not ruled out that it was the product of human action.
Firefighters hoped to take advantage of a calmer climate and lower temperatures a day after gusts of wind led to the fire via Federal Highway 50, threatening more remote communities in El Dorado County.
The erratic winds did fly the embers towards the dry branches, leading to new ignition points and challenging teams trying to fight the flames on rough terrain.
Firefighters fight day and night against the advance of fire. photo Bloomberg
“We know this fire has done things that no one could predict“But this has been the fight against fires in the state this year,” said Jeff Marsolais, chief supervisor of the Golden Forest.
global warming
Several large forest fires have incinerated at least 700 homes, Many of them in or around the Greenville and Grizzly Flats communities of the Sierra Nevada. About 13,000 residences remained under threat in locations hidden in picturesque forests.
The fires have consumed approximately 6,000 square miles (2,300 square miles) and have sent smoke to the east coast of the United States. They burned in pasture, scrub and forest that are extremely dry after two years of drought that has probably been exacerbated by climate change.
The Dixie fire in Genesee, California. photo Bloomberg
Nine California national forests have been closed by the threat of fire.
Northwest of Heat Fire, the huge Dixie fire continued to spread. In five weeks, the fire located 282 kilometers (175 miles) northeast of San Francisco, has become the second largest of state history and has blackened an area that doubles the size of Los Angeles. It was contained in 37%.
tiredness
California is one of a dozen states, most in the west of the nation, where 94 fires large fires burned until Sunday, according to the National Interagency Fire Department.
The fires have intensified across the western United States, creating an almost year-round season which has exhausted firefighters.
Fire patterns used to migrate for seasons from the southwest to the Rocky Mountains, and to the Pacific Northwest and then to California, allowing fire crews they would move from one place to another, said Anthony Scardina, deputy regional forest guard of the United States Forest Service.
Source: AP
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