Conflagrations currently burning across the U.S. West Coast were again fuelled by unstable weather conditions, burdening overstretched firefighters there.
{RVO}
Thunderstorms added insult to injury in Northern California, as a gold rush-era community of Greenville has been all but destroyed.
The thunderstorms didn't produce much rain but whipped up wind and created lightning strikes, making firefighters resort to dropping fire retardant to douse the blazes.
One of the most catastrophic conflagrations, dubbed the Dixie Fire, has so far incinerated nearly 845 square miles of land, and is 31 percent contained.
The cause of that fire has yet to be determined. But Pacific Gas and Electric in California has put the blame on a fallen tree.
A fast-moving fire broke out yesterday afternoon east of Salt Lake City, forcing authorities to shut down Interstate 80 and evacuate a mountain community of 6,600 people. It was reportedly threatening thousands of homes and power lines.
Smoke hovering in the air in much of the U.S. West Coast has sent air quality there deteriorating. Levels from unhealthy to very unhealthy were recorded in Northern California, Oregon and Idaho.
Hot weather and bone-dry conditions in Oregon could increase fire risks through the rest of the weekend.
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