More than 85 Large Wildfires Have Already Burned 1.4 Million Acres Across the U.S.

There are more than 85 large wildfires burning throughout the U.S., most of them are in Western states. To date they have burned over 1.4 million acres. Here is a brief wildfire roundup report:

More than 7200 firefighters were fighting six major wildfire blazes across California on Sunday (7-25-21), with more than 700 square miles burned in the state so far this year. Most of those firefighters — 5,000 — were deployed battling the massive Dixie Fire in Northern California near the tiny community of Indian Falls, northwest of Lake Tahoe. Fire officials said the blaze had charred nearly 190,00 acres, or 298 square miles, of timber and brush in Plumas and Butte counties. It was 21% contained.

Elsewhere, firefighters are also reporting progress against the nation’s largest wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, containing 46% of the blaze that had consumed nearly 640 square miles. More than 2,200 firefighters battled the blaze, focusing Sunday on constructing containment lines at the north and eastern edges in dense timber. Crews could get a break from rain and higher humidity predicted for this week, said Marcus Kauffman, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry.

In north-central Washington, firefighters battled two blazes in Okanogan County that threatened hundreds of homes and again caused hazardous air quality conditions Saturday.

And in northern Idaho, east of Spokane, Washington, a small fire near the Silverwood Theme Park prompted evacuations Friday evening at the park and in the surrounding area. The theme park was back open Saturday with the fire half contained.