Extreme weather in fire-ravaged Oregon has firefighters stretched to the limit. This, as fire officials have asked for outside help. Meantime, in addition to containing several major conflagrations across the Pacific Northwest, fire officials are preparing to deal with additional blazes as sporadic thunderstorms and lightning are threatening to further fuel the fires.
{SOT}
Drivers on Oregon's interstate highways can hardly see what's in front of their cars, as smoke and ash in the air significantly reduced the visibility.
This, as the 537 sq.-mile Bootleg Fire is running amuck in Portland, burning 300 miles southeast of Portland in and around the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
Evacuations and property losses as a result of the conflagrations are staggering.
"A lot of smoke, and there's a lot of emergency vehicles that are traversing that road in order to get to areas, and we felt just in an abundance of caution, it would be better to close the road and protect the citizens in that area." Said Antonio Negrete, Dixie Fire Public Information Officer.
Fire officials in both Oregon and California have asked for more outside help, should there be a surge in fire activity in the region.
Firefighters are also working day and night to contain the blazes to ensure they won't be behindhand in licking the fires.
With no escape routes in the National Forest, firefighters resorted to dropping fire retardant into the burn zone.
In California, it is fortunate that the blazes are not in the Bay Area. It would've rendered thousands of people homeless, had they been burning in those areas.
At least 2,000 homes have been evacuated in California and another 5,000 threatened. Thick smoke literally covers the area, leaving residents and wildlife unable to breathe.
And in Northern California, authorities expanded evacuation on the Tamarack Fire in Alpine County in the Sierra Nevada to include the mountain town of Mesa Vista. This, after the Tamarack Fire exploded and wreaked havoc.
Thanks to firefighters' efforts, no one has died so far.
Around 25 percent of the devastating Bootleg Fire has been contained.
Extremely dry conditions and heat waves tied to climate change have been providing more opportunities for the conflagrations to strengthen, making them harder to fight.
While firefighters are devoted to fighting the 16 uncontained wildfires burned in Oregon and Washington states, occasional thunderstorms are expected to further exacerbate the fire conditions.
With scorching hot temperatures continuing to make wildfires more prevalent and destructive, time will tell whether the firefighters' expertise of containing the fires will kick in, and if they can pull the fire rescues off.
Comments