Crews tackle wildfires in the west that have caused thousands of evacuations



[ad_1]

In Utah, firefighters reported “great progress” in the Parleys Canyon fire on Sunday, but several communities near Salt Lake City remain on evacuation. “The fire is now 10% contained. Moderate fire behavior was observed today, and planes supported firefighters throughout the day,” officials said. said on twitter Sunday. The flames have burned 619 acres since the blaze began on Saturday, an official said.
In California, the Dixie Fire, the largest active fire in the country and the second largest fire in state history, reached 570,211 acres on Sunday and is only 31% contained, according to InciWeb, the US forest fire clearinghouse.
Across the country, 12 states are fighting 97 large fires or complexes, which burned a total of 2,104,669 acres. As of Sunday, 33 incident management teams and more than 25,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel were assigned to the incidents, the National Interagency Fire Center said.
Oregon received good news on Sunday as the Bootleg Fire, which at one point became the largest wildfire in the United States, reached 100% containment, according to InciWeb.

No deaths have been reported from the blaze, which currently measures 413,717 acres. It began on July 6 and ravaged over 400 structures and 342 vehicles.

Meanwhile, the California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) said on Sunday it was monitoring the potential of a dry offshore wind event this week that could lead to new fires.

“Given this wind event and the current conditions, including extreme to exceptional drought and extremely dry vegetation, PG&E has started sending 48 hour advance notifications to customers in targeted areas where PG&E may need to cut power. Power proactively for safety reasons to reduce the risk of forest fires from energized power lines, ”PG&E said in a press release.

About 39,000 residents of 16 counties could be affected by potential power outages, the company said.

Thousands of people evacuated in Utah

As the Parleys Canyon fire escalated over the weekend, more than 6,000 homes were evacuated east of Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday afternoon.

The evacuations affect homes in the communities of Summit Park, Pine Brook, Lambs Canyon and Mill Creek, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office has urged residents to leave their homes for their own safety as well as that of first responders.

Smoke and soot from forest fires may cause more Covid-19 cases and deaths, study finds
“To residents who refuse to evacuate for #ParleysCanyonFire – you are hampering efforts and putting first responders at risk. PLEASE evacuate immediately!” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.

Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox said a Red Cross evacuation center has opened at Park City High School.

“We have been extremely blessed and lucky this fire season – but the #ParleysCanyonFire is big and dangerous.” Cox wrote in a Facebook post. “Please be careful and follow all evacuation orders. We all pray for the safety of our firefighters as the job is to protect homes and lives.”
Officials estimated on Saturday that the Parleys Canyon fire burned 2,500 to 3,000 acres, but then lowered the estimate to 619 acres after the aerial flight mapping was completed on Sunday. firefighters said.

Dixie Fire threatens thousands of structures

Further west, the Dixie Fire, which burns in two national forests, one national park and four counties in California, continues to span thousands of acres.
Why wildfires happen: Debunking the myth that arson is more to blame than climate change

Three first responders were injured in the fighting against the Dixie Fire in Northern California. There is no report of the death, Cal Fire said.

A total of 1,173 structures, including residences, commercial buildings and other minor structures, were destroyed and 80 other structures damaged, according to Cal Fire. Nearly 15,000 structures are threatened by the flames.

CNN’s Aya Elamroussi, Alta Spells and Andy Rose contributed to this report.



[ad_2]

Source link