The heatwave in the western U.S. continues to have a devastating impact on the environment. The wildfires sparked from the dry conditions are spreading. AXIOS reports, “The heat, combined with a deepening drought and lightning strikes, has set more than 1 million acres of land in California, Oregon, Washington, and Canada ablaze, with smoke obscuring the skies thousands of miles away.”
As a dangerous heatwave continues to affect western North America, #wildfires still continue to burn throughout the region. The resulting ash in the atmosphere appears pink in this morning's Ash RGB infrared imagery from the #GOESEast 🛰️. pic.twitter.com/Vjl3nHJNm0
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) July 12, 2021
On Sunday, The National Weather Service reported that the Oregon Bootleg fire has doubled in size each of the last three days. NBC News writes:
The out-of-control wildfire was so intense that it forced firefighters to retreat to safety zones and prompted more personnel to be deployed overnight, fire officials said.
Residents in some areas of Klamath County were forced to evacuate as the wildfire continued to spread and was zero percent contained Sunday, the incident report said. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire, but authorities said “dry weather and extremely dry fuels contribute to extreme fire behavior.”
Almost the entire eastern half of Oregon is waking up to smoky skies on this Monday morning. The bulk of the smoke is still coming from the #BootlegFire, which has scorched over 150,000 acres. #ORwx pic.twitter.com/jkv2Y9cTRm
— Jeff Forgeron (@WeatherJefe) July 12, 2021
According to The Los Angeles Times, “California is off to another record-breaking year of wildfires as the state enters its most dangerous months, with extreme heat and dry terrain creating the conditions for rapid spread.”
The Sugar fire had spread to 83,256 acres as of Sunday, making it the largest so far this year in California. Flames swept into the small town of Doyle, destroying homes and other structures. Sparked by lightning in the Plumas National Forest, it forced 3,000 to flee their homes in Plumas and Lassen counties.
Strong breezes create tunnels of flames as the Beckwourth Complex Fire continues to rage in Northern California. It is the state’s largest wildfire of 2021, spread out across 86 square miles. https://t.co/NGPrgan6fL pic.twitter.com/19uk9UKhGc
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 12, 2021
There is expected to be some relief from the heat later this week. But first, as The New York Times points out, residents  will endure two most days of the oppressive temperatures:
The scorching heat included a 130-degree reading in Death Valley in California on Friday, matching a similar recorded temperature in August 2020. The temperature in the area reached just over 120 degrees on Sunday.
Dangerously hot conditions, with temperatures ranging from 100 to 118 degrees, are expected in the western Mojave Desert and Owens Valley, in California, and throughout parts of western and south-central Nevada, including Las Vegas, in Clark County, until Tuesday.
Watch more from CBS News above.
