U.S. Wildfires: Six States See Surge of Fires From Record-Breaking Temperatures
More than 18 wildfires have sprung up across the West and Southwest areas of United States, as unprecedented temperatures continue to trigger new fires.
The heat wave currently sweeping across the Southwest region has sparked new instances of large wildfires, according to CNN. There has been six cases reported in Arizona and three fires in Utah.
California also recorded one wildfire in the recent weeks, as well as two more cases in Nevada plus a large wildfire in Oregon.
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The two largest fires have started in Arizona and Utah, and have caused untold damage to forests in the area. Haley Brink of CNN Weather noted that the current rash of wildfires has burned down almost 1 million acres, a record high compared to the wildfire average last year.
The Brian Head Fire in Utah, named after the town situated near the site of the fire, proves to be troublesome for respondents. The fire covered more than 42,000 acres by June 25, as reported by local media outlet KUTV.
More than 2.5 million acres in the country has been burned down by wildfires, a figure that's one million more than the annual average. The number of incidents has almost reached the 10-year average of 30,365 fires, with the current date just reaching July. Almost 27,943 wildfires have sprung up as of Thursday, June 22
Bret Howser, Brian Head Town Manager, spoke about the evacuation efforts being down for the affected families. "The evacuations are in place indefinitely and more could be coming. They will stay in place until the fire manager feels it's safe," Howser said.
Unprecedented high temperatures and little rainfall have contributed to the recent spate of wildfires in the country. The heat wave has already resulted in the death of an elderly couple, according to CNN.
Even the airports have not been immune to the record-breaking heat. About 50 flights have been grounded in Phoenix due to the heat wave, as reported by NPR.
