California Wildfires Have Burned A Record 2 Million Acres Of LandPA
More than 2 million acres have been torched by wildfires in California, a record amount of land, leaving many homeless and potentially millions without power.
The amount of land destroyed by the blaze has broken the all-time record of 1.9 million acres, which was set in 2018, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have confirmed.
Sadly, the fires show no time of slowing any time soon, with temperatures soaring to dangerously high levels of up to 49°C, and offshore winds prompting the flames to spread.
Advert
Gender Reveal Party Blamed For Starting Huge Californian WildfirePA Images
Cal Fire put out a statement on Monday, September 7, saying it and other fire departments across the state should be prepared for what could be potentially be more significant wildfires as a result of the extreme weather.
This weekend, the state is expected to see more record-breaking heat, according to climate scientist Daniel Swain.
‘All indications are that this fire season is going to continue to be worse than average,’ he wrote on Twitter, before going on to say the combination of a heat wave and offshore winds ‘will push those fires in places where we don’t want them to go, close to where people live.’
Advert
At least one person is believed to have died, while hundreds have had to be evacuated from their homes. Around 30 houses in the village of Big Creek were destroyed, while military helicopters airlifted 207 to safety on Saturday, September 5, from a wooded camping area near Mammoth Pool Reservoir, The Guardian reports.
Military helicopters were also deployed to help rescue hikers who had become trapped by wildfires in the Sierra National Forest on Monday, though had to call off the rescue attempt due to such heavy smoke in the area, the MailOnline reports.
Gender Reveal Party Blamed For Starting Huge Californian WildfirePA ImagesAdvert
On Saturday, a gender reveal party was believed to be the cause of around 7,000 acres of wildfires in the state, when a ‘smoke generating pyrotechnic device’ sparked a blaze that rapidly spread through the area of Oak Glen in San Bernadino County.
On Sunday night, September 6, governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in five different California counties, including Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernardino and San Diego.
So far, around 14,100 firefighters have been deployed to battle 24 separate blazes, which together have destroyed more than two million acres of land, while at least seven deaths have been reported.
Advert
The state of California has seen 900 new wildfires since August 15, many of which began as a result of an intense series of lightning strikes.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Link nguồn : https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/california-wildfires-have-burned-a-record-2-million-acres-of-land
