"Explosive" Start To Oregon Fire Season - More Than 1 Million Acres Burned In Less Than A Month

Oregon’s wildfire season is off to an explosive start with more than 1m acres (405,000 hectares) charred in less than a month, as experts warn that extreme heat and unusual lightning strikes are creating “catastrophic conditions” for fires to ignite and spread. The state is currently home to the largest wildfire burning in the US. By Friday afternoon, the Durkee fire had burned nearly 290,000 acres (117,000 hectares) and was only 20% contained. The fire had forced evacuations, shut down a major interstate highway and even produced its own weather system.

The Durkee fire is one of more than 100 lightning-ignited fires, including four “megafires”, that have started over the past week and are currently raging in the eastern and central parts of Oregon. A megafire is defined by the National Interagency Fire Center as blazes that have burned more than 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares).

The more than 1m acres charred so far are already quadruple last year’s total and are approaching statistics for the massive 2020 season, which saw 1.2m acres burned. The fire season typically runs until autumn rains arrive in mid-September, but bad years can see blazes burn into October.

“Our wildfire season is off to a very aggressive start,” said Tina Kotek, the governor of Oregon, at a virtual press conference last Friday. Kotek has declared a state of emergency and officials have issued evacuation advisories affecting some 18,000 people. The wildfires have sent clouds of harmful smoke billowing across Oregon and into neighboring states like Idaho, pushing air quality to unhealthy levels.

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/27/oregon-wildfire-season