Size of Oregon wildfire underscores vastness of the US West
Source: AP
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The monstrous wildfire burning in Oregon has grown to a third the size of Rhode Island and spreads miles each day, but evacuations and property losses have been minimal compared with much smaller blazes in densely populated areas of California.
The fires jaw-dropping size contrasted with its relatively small impact on people underscores the vastness of the American West and offers a reminder that Oregon, which is larger than Britain, is still a largely rural state, despite being known mostly for its largest city, Portland.
The 476-square-mile (1,210-square-kilometer) Bootleg Fire is burning 300 miles (483 kilometers) southeast of Portland in and around the Fremont-Winema National Forest, a vast expanse of old-growth forest, lakes and wildlife refuges.
If the fire were in densely populated parts of California, it would have destroyed thousands of homes by now, said James Johnston, a researcher with Oregon State Universitys College of Forestry who studies historical wildfires. But it is burning in one of the more remote areas of the lower 48 states. Its not the Bay Area out there.
In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, the Bootleg Fire burns at night in southern Oregon on Saturday, July 17, 2021. The destructive Bootleg Fire, one of the largest in modern Oregon history, has already burned more than 476 square miles (1,210 square kilometers), an area about the size of Los Angeles. The Bootleg Fire is among dozens burning in the parched West. (Bootleg Fire Incident Command via AP)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/science-fires-environment-and-nature-wildfires-3f102582aa78c2400a95374a2fb07529
riversedge
(70,329 posts)ZZenith
(4,130 posts)Cataclysmic fire caused by years of extreme drought which is caused be anthropogenic global climate change is really no big deal because we are so very huge.
Fuck you, Associated Press. You used to be known for your journalistic integrity but those days are long gone.