The wildfires burned a combined area the size of Delaware and Rhode Island – and then some

The Bootleg Fire, the largest active fire, has grown steadily since it was started by the July 6 ignition. It charred 413,400 acres in southern Oregon, destroying hundreds of structures and vehicles in its path. It was 53% content on Tuesday night, according to Inciweb, the U.S. fire information center.

“The cooler temperatures and precipitation yesterday were a welcome change,” incident meteorologist Chris Foltz said in a daily press update on Wednesday. “Wet rain fell yesterday, falling as much as 0.6 inch over the west area of ​​the fire. The east side was a little drier, but still received a tenth of an inch. All areas of the fire. fire did not receive rain, but the cooler, wetter conditions are beneficial for the fire crews. ”

And it’s not just the United States that is facing the devastating impact of the climate crisis, which is making deadlier and more destructive wildfires the new normal.

Forest fires are spreading in southern Europe, especially on the Italian island of Sardinia, where nearly 1,000 people have fled their homes as the flames advance.

“It is still not possible to estimate the damage caused by the fires which are still ongoing in the Oristano region,” Sardinia region president Christian Solinas said in a statement on Monday. “Destroyed vegetation, burnt businesses and houses and killed animals.”

On Tuesday, a regional spokesperson told CNN that the blaze had burned nearly 50,000 acres, but officials are still assessing the damage.

Meanwhile, Greece saw around 50 fires ignite between Sunday and Monday as it grapples with a stubborn heat wave.

In the United States, the heat makes problems worse for those fighting fires.

Forest fires impact communities

California’s largest current wildfire is not abating.

The fire threatened 10,721 structures and destroyed more than 50 others. The cause is still under investigation.

Flames from the Dixie Fire have gripped much of the town of Indian Falls, located along CA-89 in California’s Plumas National Forest, northwest of Reno, Nevada.

“It is safe to say that all residents of this small community have been affected by this fire,” Sheriff Todd Johns told CNN in an email on Monday.

The sheriff estimated that 18 of 25 full-time homes in Indian Falls were destroyed in the blaze.

“We have not been able to make an actual assessment of this area, at this time, due to the active fires in the area as well as the dangers,” Johns said. “That being said, there has been a substantial loss of structure.”

Firefighters face perilous battles

Ground crews also struggle as they attempt to tame the flames.

In Montana, five firefighters were injured when “a sudden change in wind brought the wildfire back to their position as they built a defensive line of fire around the perimeter of the Devils Creek fire in County of. Garfield, July 22, “according to a press release from the Office of Land Management.

“Numerous wind changes and rapid rates of spread caused the fire to behave erratically as thunderstorms and associated cells passed over the area when the incident occurred.”

Firefighters were evacuated for a medical assessment, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the steep terrain and extreme fire behavior created dangerous conditions for California firefighters, including the top crews working on the Dixie Fire.

“Steep slopes, a lot of rolling material, a lot of falling dead trees, so I can’t stress enough the danger these firefighters face in trying to maintain this,” said Dennis Burns, fire behavior analyst.

Crews must be methodical so as not to aggravate the fire with spots, that is, when a fire produces sparks or embers which are carried by the wind and start new fires. he declares.