California’s largest wildfire is spreading throughout the West, with more than 18 million Americans still under heat advisories following a record-breaking heatwave.
While the heatwave is gradually subsiding, scorching temperatures are expected to persist, posing a threat to firefighters combating fires.
Currently, dozens of major wildfires are raging across the West.
Winds of up to 20 mph fanned the fire in the northern Sierra Nevada, according to The Associated Press.
According to the Associated Press, the air was so dry that part of the water dropped by planes to put out the fire evaporated before it reached the ground.
A new wildfire broke out in California over the weekend. The River Fire, which is burning in Madera and Mariposa Counties, has grown to over 4,000 acres in only a few hours and is just 5% controlled. A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for a number of neighborhoods in the area.
Due to the Rock Creek Fire near Craig, Montana, which shut down sections of Interstate 15, evacuations were also requested.
Drought and dry conditions remain, giving the perfect environment for any spark to explode into a fast-moving wildfire.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the whole state of California is in drought, with 85 percent in extreme drought, while almost two-thirds of Utah is in exceptional drought, and more than one-third of Washington state is in extreme drought.
Dry lightning can also start more fires during monsoon thunderstorms in the West.