By Aya Elamroussi, CNN
The two largest active wildfires in the United States have burned land nearly across New York, Los Angeles and Chicago combined, while drought and excessive heat continue to worsen issues for those battling large fires in the West.
“No human intervention can save those forests if we don’t prevent climate change,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee told CNN on Friday. “We all need more aerial assets, more bulldozers, more qualified personnel, but it’s a bit like there’s an arsonist in general, and we have to lock up the arsonist. We have to go on the offensive. “
The Dixie fire in California burned 240,795 acres and 24% contained on Friday, according to Cal Fire. It threatens more than 10,000 structures in the region, more than 60 of which have already been destroyed. More than 7,800 citizens of Butte and Plumas counties were ordered. to evacuate on Monday morning.
The Bootleg Fire, the nation’s largest wildfire site, continues to burn in southern Oregon, burning 413,562 acres since it ignited this month, according to InciWeb, the data center for fire sites in the United States. . It contained 53% on Friday.
And the warmer weather makes combat more difficult as the region faces double-digit heat.
“When fuels, weather situations and topography align, there is a superior perspective for the competitive spread of chimney sites. Previous one-time chimney sites are contained and inactive, however, considerations remain about possible outflow winds related to thunderstorms and effects on the open line of the chimney site. “said officials of the place of the chimney. in a published in InciWeb.
Drought situations in the West have gotten worse this week as the California and Pacific Northwest regions revel in an expansion of drier situations.
Nearly part of California is experiencing an exceptional drought, the worst category designated by the U. S. Drought Monitor. U. S. , which occurs through a partnership between U. S. government agencies. U. S. And the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. they are experiencing those conditions.
With wildfires burning lately in the United States, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met Friday with an organization of Democratic and Republican governors whose states are battled the flames.
“We can’t forget how overlapping and intertwined points — excessive heat, prolonged drought and overburdened forest chimney situations — the country, making it a challenge that requires our urgent and urgent action,” Biden said at the virtual meeting. .
Inslee said he was inspired by Biden’s perspective on the man-made climate replacement that fuels wildfires.
“Which inspired me to the fullest the president’s popularity of the main issue, that is, whether or not we’re going on the counter-offensive to climate change,” Inslee said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has expressed fears about excessive drought in his state and poor air quality due to fires burning in the West.
“Here in Minnesota, gray hair talks about the last time we saw a drought like 1988 and it’s probably more like 1961,” Walz told Biden at the meeting. “Large portions of my state are in an unprecedented drought. “Two years ago we were in unprecedented flooding,” Walz said. Unfortunately, I’m worried that this is our new normal. “
Minnesota on Thursday set two records for worst air quality, according to Nick Witcraft, a researcher at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Extreme weather situations fit the new normal, as the climate crisis causes wildfires and heat waves.
“Our resources are already exhausted to sustain ours. We want more help, especially when we also take into account the most demanding situations nationally, pandemic-like disruptions to the chain of origin and our ongoing efforts to combat Covid,” Biden said.
The Dixie Fire ignited four miles from the site of the Camp Fire, California’s deadliest wildfire, killing another 85 people and destroying the city of Paradise in 2018.
it rekindled dark memories for those who lost their homes at the campfire.
“Once you’re a victim of a chimney of this magnitude, which I and others have been, we monitor the chimneys very closely,” said Jessica Roberts, who was forced to move to some other component of the state after the chimney. “It’s not something we can escape from because of the post-traumatic stress of all of this. “
In recent days, smoke, orange skies and firefighting helicopters flying over the remote city of Paradise have reminded citizens of the fatal crisis that marked the domain, physically and emotionally, not so long ago.
Roberts, who lived in Magalia, north of Paradise, when the campfire enwulfed the area, her then-husband was out of town, so he evacuated with his 1-year-old son, his 6-year-old daughter and their 3 dogs.
Roberts told CNN through tears, “I asked my daughter if we were going to die,” Roberts told CNN. “And we weren’t even anywhere like other people caught in the flames. But the fact that my daughter asked if we were going to die that day. it still resonates. “
As wildfires continue to destroy U. S. lands, countries are also on the front lines of the climate crisis.
In the Middle East, there is an “environmental disaster” as large-scale wildfires spread to Lebanon, the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative warned Thursday. The northern region of Akkar’s country is suffering.
The Lebanese Red Cross showed thursday night that another 8 people were hospitalized due to the fires, while another 25 people were treated through medical groups at the scene.
Meanwhile, in Turkey, 14 wildfires continue in another 1,100 problems along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday in a televised statement.
So far, wildfires have claimed at least 4 lives.
The-CNN-Wire ™