Published 10:53 IST, September 11th 2020
Wildfire rages across North America, burns 3.4 mn acres in California alone
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of Thursday, more than 3.4 million acres of land have been burned as the wildfires continue to rage.
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Wildfires continued to rage through the town of Paradise on Thursday burning through millions of acres of land, setting ablaze forests, homes, and lives. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of Thursday more than 3.4 million acres of land have been burned as the wildfires continue to engulf everything in sight enveloping them into a thick smog of orange.
More than tens of thousands of acres have been burned in a single last day in California, Oregon, and Washington, the National Interagency Fire Center reported. And more than 14,100 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blazing wildfire in California.
The August Complex fire in Northern California has been recorded as the state's worst wildfire in its history after it consumed 471,185 acres of land, the Cal Fire stated on Thursday. The raging fires have claimed 23 lives and left over 500,000 people statewide displaced. Nearly 10% of the state's population has been forced to evacuate.
The US Forest Service had previously closed eight national forests and 10 more national forests were closed recently citing “unprecedented and historic fire conditions throughout the state”. A state of emergency has been declared by the California Governor Gavin Newsom in multiple countries amid wildfires.
In Southern California, the fire took over Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. Addressing the crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this week said, “We’re encouraged that the wind activity appears to be dying down. The rest of the week looks a little more favourable”.
However, all hopes of respite fell through as the Wildfires continued to wreak havoc, their deadly smog moving across the Great Basin of Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and portions of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and even west Texas. The situation, a stark reminder of what the country had gone through back in 2018.
(With Agency Inputs)
10:53 IST, September 11th 2020