California wildfires force evacuations, state of emergency declared
4 July 2024 07:01
The situation in California is serious. Firefighters are battling forest fires. Thousands of people have been evacuated, and millions have received heat warnings.
The most dangerous fire broke out in Oroville, destroying several buildings. Thousands of people were evacuated, and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the affected area.
Fires in California
- We are using every available tool to tackle this fire and will continue to work closely with our local and federal partners to support impacted communities - stated Newsom.
"Los Angeles Times" reported that on Wednesday, July 3, the Thompson fire was also being fought with the help of airplanes. Firefighters battled the Thompson fire with temperatures around 43°C and wind gusts up to 50 km/h. Such conditions are not conducive to firefighting; quite the opposite.
A difficult situation
On Wednesday morning, the fire spread over about 1,200 hectares. As emphasized by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, it threatened about 230 structures then.
Four firefighters were injured during the operation. Evacuation orders covered thousands in and around the city and Butte County. Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s power outages affected two thousand customers.
According to information from the National Weather Service (NWS), record and dangerous temperatures are affecting California, the southern plains, and the mid-Atlantic region. 110 million people in 21 states have received heat alerts or warnings.
