Several fires are ravaging parts of the western United States, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes, while a large forest fire escapes the control of the State of Oregon, local authorities said Monday.
Nearly 35,000 acres were destroyed by the Oregon state fire, dubbed the “Cedar Creek Fire,” which has quadrupled in size in four days and is spreading across two counties in central Oregon east of the city of Eugene, the Group said. National Wildfire Coordination Committee (NWCG).
More than 2,000 homes and 400 commercial buildings are threatened by fire and in recent days the authorities have activated level three of their evacuation plan in certain areas, so the danger in these places is imminent and they must be evacuated immediately. .
Hundreds of residents have already been ordered to leave their homes and authorities have alerted thousands more to prepare to follow if necessary.
Heavy smoke engulfed the region, damaging air quality, according to the NWCG.
“Getting out of here as fast as possible was all I had in mind,” Herman Schimmel, a resident who recently moved to the area, told The Oregonian newspaper.
The “Cedar Creek Fire” advanced due to weather conditions over the past week, combining easterly winds, high temperatures and drought.
Eight helicopters and more than 1,000 firefighters were trying to contain the fire, which broke out on August 1.
On Sunday, firefighters focused on building fire breaks along existing highways, procedures they estimate could take about a week.
The American West is suffering the consequences of more than two decades of devastating drought, exacerbated by climate change.
More than 90 fires are currently burning in eight western states, smothering residents of major cities like Seattle, Washington.
Firefighters are fighting in particular against the “Fairview Fire” on the outskirts of Los Angeles and the “Mosquito Fire” on the outskirts of Sacramento.
Source: TSF
