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Crews battle wildfires in western U.S. and Canada
npr.org • • general
Key Points:
- Evacuation orders are active across parts of the Western U.S. and Southwest Canada due to extremely hot, dry conditions fueling widespread wildfires, with 183 new fires reported in the U.S. since Saturday.
- In Utah, nearly a dozen wildfires have burned over 300,000 acres, including the Widemouth 2 Fire, the largest this year at more than 118,000 acres and 27% contained, which claimed the lives of two helicopter pilots.
- Oregon and Washington are also battling significant fires, with a bulldozer operator killed fighting the Wrights Spring Fire in Oregon and over 60,000 people evacuated near Spokane, Washington, where firefighters have made progress in containment.
- British Columbia, Canada, faces over 100 active wildfires amid high temperatures and dry lightning, leading to a state of emergency declaration and the evacuation of more than 20,000 people due to the Bald Range wildfire.
- Authorities attribute the severe fire season to an abnormally dry and warm winter, creating conditions that allow fires to start easily and spread rapidly across the region.
