California wildfires gets out of control, state of emergency declared
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A state of emergency has been declared by California Governor Gavin Newsom for areas impacted by two wildfires.
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Flames leap above fire vehicles as the Park Fire jumps Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
The most active fire in California has gotten out of control, spreading quickly over bone-dry fuel and endangering thousands of houses as firefighters hurried to contain the flames.
Fire officials likened the destructive Park Fire to the devastating Camp Fire, which broke out in neighboring Paradise in 2018, destroying 11,000 houses and killing 85 people.
By Friday night, over 130 structures had reportedly been demolished, and many more were reportedly in danger.
A state of emergency was declared by California Governor Gavin Newsom for areas impacted by two wildfires.
The governor's office released a statement stating that hundreds of citizens were being forced to evacuate due to the fires, which were burning homes and posing a threat to essential infrastructure.
Nearly 500,000 acres have been burned by recent and ongoing wildfires in the state, according to local officials.
Read more: Impact of climate change on California’s wildfires
People were being forced to evacuate along fire-ringed roadways from rural Idaho to eastern Washington as more than 110 active fires spread throughout the western United States and Canada.
This year, more than 15,000 square kilometers have burnt in at least 27,000 fires in the US, and more than 22,800 square kilometers have burned in more than 3,700 fires in Canada thus far.
#GroveFire [update] Good news! There was no growth today. The fire remains 863 acres and is now 40% contained. Our next containment update will be tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/dd66a62Ys2
— CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire (@CALFIRESANDIEGO) July 27, 2024
There has been major damage reported in Canada's Jasper National Park. There, a rapidly spreading wildfire destroyed the town bearing the park's name, a World Heritage site, and drove 25,000 people to evacuate.
Just earlier this month, a strong wildfire that broke out in northern California threatened thousands of houses, as the state is experiencing an intense heatwave that could be historic – forcing about 28,000 residents to flee their homes.
The Thompson fire rapidly spread over more than 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) close to the city of Oroville, an hour outside of the Californian capital of Sacramento.
Around this time last year, a wildfire that erupted in Northern California as well forced the evacuation of 500 homes and other structures.
