Devastating wildfire conditions in West expected to worsen

Devastating wildfire conditions in West expected to worsen

The already devastating wildfire conditions in the West are expected to worsen Wednesday as the region sees an increase of gusty, dry winds — which is fuel for fire.

More than 60 wildfires are burning across the West. Red flag warnings and heat advisories have been issued in Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Wildfire season has only just begun, but there are already 14,000 firefighters on the front lines.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Wednesday forecast shows winds gusting up to 35 mph, temperatures soaring near 105 degrees and relative humidity falling to 7%.

The Bootleg Fire in Klamath County, Oregon, is currently the nation’s largest wildfire, clocking in at over 200,000 acres,

In Nespelem, Washington, all residents were evacuated as a wildfire caused by lightning raced across town, 

In Madera County, California, local authorities have declared a state of emergency as the River Fire ravages the area. The blaze has covered 9,500 acres and is 15% contained, according to Cal Fire.

“The extreme heat and winds have proven to be challenging for not only fire personnel, but those working to support those efforts,” Sheriff Tyson Pogue said Tuesday. “This proclamation will provide much needed resources to support our community.”

The massive fires have sent smoke halfway across the country, reaching as far as the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes. Air quality alerts have been issued from Colorado to Minnesota.

The air was so dry that some of the water dropped by aircraft to combat the fire evaporated before it reached the ground, according to AP.

Another wildfire sparked in California overnight Sunday. The River Fire, located in Madera and Mariposa Counties, grew to more than 4,000 acres in just hours and is only 5% contained. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for several neighborhoods in the vicinity.

Extreme drought and dry conditions are persisting, creating matchbox conditions for any spark to ignite into a fast-moving blaze.

The entire state of California is in drought and 85% is in extreme drought, while nearly two-thirds of Utah is in exceptional drought, and more than one-third of Washington state is in extreme drought, 

Wildfire season has only just begun, but there are already 14,000 firefighters on the front lines.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Wednesday forecast shows winds gusting up to 35 mph, temperatures soaring near 105 degrees and relative humidity falling to 7%.

"The extreme heat and winds have proven to be challenging for not only fire personnel, but those working to support those efforts," Sheriff Tyson Pogue said Tuesday. "This proclamation will provide much needed resources to support our community."

The massive fires have sent smoke halfway across the country, reaching as far as the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes. Air quality alerts have been issued from Colorado to Minnesota.

Wildfires are continuing to spread in the West as more than 18 million Americans remain under heat alerts on the heels of a record-breaking heat wave.

The heat wave brought triple-digit temperatures to cities in Arizona, Utah, California and Montana and played a significant role in the rapid spread of fires over the weekend. Las Vegas tied its all-time high temperature at 117 degrees on Saturday, while temperatures in Death Valley reached 130 degrees on Friday.

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