80 Wildfires burn over a million acres across Western US [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Amid the drought and the hot climate, the Western region of the US had recorded more than 80 large wildfires.
• Over 1,174,486 acres have been burned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
• Officials also warned about potential rains and flash floods that could occur due to upcoming thunderstorms.

Over 80 large wildfires across the Western region of the US have been thriving amid the present drought season and soaring temperatures.

The fires were recorded in over a dozen states and it already burned an approximate 1,174,486 acres of land, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported.

Among the affected states and regions were south-central Idaho, northern California, the northern Rockies, and south-central Oregon. The cause of the blaze could be linked to huge dry fuel loads or dense and dry vegetation that could fire up with heated atmospheres.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has already given red flag notices, extreme heat warnings, and fire weather advisories in some parts of Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Montana.

As of Monday morning, Montana recorded the highest active wildfires with 18, closely followed by Idaho with 17 active fires. On the other hand, California has nine, while Oregon and Washington have eight and seven active fires, respectively.

The largest wildfire is currently flaming across Oregon’s northwest town of Beatty with over 293,000 acres.

The guidance was released following the ongoing fires and expected thunderstorms that would come across in western and northern Nevada, south-central and eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, Idaho, and western Montana.

“Isolated to scattered showers with possible embedded thunderstorms are likely to track over the northern Great Basin into the Northern Rockies early to mid-day,” the NIFC said.

The present plight could possibly result in flash floods and potential rains.

“Lightning and gusty outflow winds will be the primary threats though some storms could produce brief periods of heavy rain,” the Boise station of the NWS from Idaho wrote.

The National Preparedness Level is still at level 5, the highest level for wildfire catastrophes. Over 19,600 wildland firefighters and staffers have responded to address the situation across the states.

Source: The Hill