Fires in Canada and the US West are pushing firefighters to the limit

Fires in Canada and the US West are pushing firefighters to the limit

The ongoing wildfires in the western United States and Canada are pushing firefighters to the limit. Although he had to fight several fires himself, California officials on Saturday promised to send reinforcements for the roughly 2,100 firefighters currently deployed against the so-called bootleg fire south of the neighboring state of Oregon. In Canada’s Northwest Province of Ontario, firefighters were expecting reinforcements from Mexico.

The bootleg fire is currently the largest fire ever in the United States. On Saturday, a fire broke out in an area at least the size of New York City. Only seven percent of them were contained, according to the official website InciWeb. The website said the fire has spread significantly due to heat, drought and wind. So at least 20 houses were destroyed.

Officials warned that several “clouds of fire” that currently stretch for miles in the air could cause lightning and “whirlwinds of fire”. “We had a record heat and the worst conditions all at once,” a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Forestry, Suzanne Florey, told “The Oregonian” newspaper.

Meanwhile, in California, weather officials warned of several dry thunderstorms and dangerous lightning strikes. While many areas were being evacuated, the Department of Homeland Security assured all illegal immigrants in the area not to be afraid to seek help. There is no control in areas where disaster and emergency aid is being provided.

In Canada, officials expect extreme temperatures from Alberta to Ontario in the coming days. There were warnings about poor air quality for the four western provinces. According to scientists, the current heat waves cannot be imagined without climate change.

AFP