Huge Oregon blaze grows as wildfires burn across western US

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BLY, Oregon (AP) — The largest wildfire in the U.S. torched more dry forest landscape in Oregon on Sunday, one of dozens of major blazes burning across the West as critically dangerous fire weather loomed in the coming days.

The destructive Bootleg Fire just north of the California border grew to more than 476 square miles (1,210 square kilometers), an area about the size of Los Angeles.

Erratic winds fed the blaze, creating dangerous conditions for firefighters, said Sarah Gracey, a spokeswoman for the firefighting operation.

“We’re still facing a lot of weather issues,” she said Sunday. “The winds have been ... hampering our efforts most of the time.”



Firefighters battle the Tamarack Fire in the Markleeville community of Alpine County, Calif., on Saturday, July 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-science-health-fires-environment-and-nature-98130ca2eda415754bbb085b2dd0a23d

[NickB79]

1. Last year, a coworker asked me when I thought the Western forest fires would end

Knowing what the climate models predicted, that the West will become arid, I simply replied:

"When there aren't any more forests left to burn."

[2naSalit]

2. It's been smokey...

Mostly from those fires, and few closer by, the mountains that are very close fade in and out of view. It's been that way for a couple weeks, we've been in the heat for close to six weeks. It hit 102F today in SW Montana.

[NickB79]

3. Just got back from the Black Hills and Badlands

You could definitely see the effect of the smoke while driving across the prairie.

[C Moon]

4. Remember in the rash of California fires in 2019*, they caught right wingers starting some of them.

I have no doubt that will be on the right wing nut job agenda this year. They want to win the governorship from Newsom.
*or was that last year, 2020 was such a blur.

[SouthBayDem]

5. Oregon wildfire burns area nearly the size of Los Angeles

Updated story: https://apnews.com/article/science-fires-environment-and-nature-wildfires-3f102582aa78c2400a95374a2fb07529