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In Oregon: Historic Wildfire

The Bootleg Fire, which started July 6 in the Fremont-Winema National Forest is continuing to burn 15 miles northwest of Beatty, Oregon. It has torched 413,762 acres of land (roughly 647 square miles).

It’s one of 90 active large wildfires currently burning in 12 Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.1 Wildfires in 2021 have already consumed more than three million acres of forest.

As is the case with the Bootleg Fire, record-breaking heat this summer combined with several years of drought conditions have fueled wildfires that burn faster and are more intense than in years past. So much so that the Bootleg Fire has, at times, created its own weather, complicating firefighting efforts.

According to the National Weather Service, the Oregon fire has burned with such heat and energy that it began forming pyrocumulus clouds that have the ability to create their very own thunderstorms, produce lightning and even spark tornados. The storm-creation phenomenon, and the high winds that accompany it, have hampered containment efforts. But this weekend’s progress has fire officials hopeful they can soon have a permanent handle on the nation’s largest wildfire.

• https://www.treehugger.com/oregon-bootleg-fire-continues-5195563

and...

California's Wildfires Explode

• https://www.axios.com/california-town-greenvile-destroyed-dixie-fire-e40ae2e5-a7b8-4b9c-88b2-1508c1de3a84.html

Largest Wildfire in California History

Third Largest Wildfire in California

Western states face a drought reckoning

Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American west. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

Nearly a hundred large, active wildfires are burning across 13 US states, engaging more than 20,000 firefighters and support personnel. California is battling 11 large active blazes. Montana has 25 and Idaho 21...

and...

U.S. Congress Investigates Wildfires

• https://science.house.gov/hearings/the-state-of-federal-wildland-fire-science-examining-opportunities-for-further-research-and-coordination

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