Fire, Fire New forest fires in record heat in California
Firefighters in the US state of California battled several fires in record heat on Friday. A new fire broke out near Yosemite National Park, while a forest fire in the north of the state was brought under control.
Temperatures of up to 47 degrees Celsius were forecast for Friday (local time) as the recent heatwave in the region headed towards its peak. The National Weather Service warned of a spread of "dangerous heat" across the western US on Friday and Saturday. "Temperature records are expected to be set or broken in many areas," the weather service said.
The heatwave is hitting the state over the long weekend after Independence Day on July 4, which is celebrated in many places with fireworks that can easily start fires due to the dry conditions.
Evacuation extended
In the former gold mining town of Mariposa outside Yosemite Park, a fire broke out on Friday night and spread quickly. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.
The town itself is in danger, the evacuation is being extended and it will remain warm and dry throughout the night, warned Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California in Los Angeles. By Friday morning local time, the fire had destroyed several hundred hectares and was only five percent contained, according to the fire department.
Situation in the north eased somewhat
Meanwhile, the situation eased slightly in northern California, where the authorities had called on more than 25,000 people in the area around the small town of Oroville to evacuate in the middle of the week. Despite persistently high temperatures, firefighters were able to report success in containing the flames and lift some evacuation orders.
However, firefighters and weather experts could not yet give the all-clear, as even higher temperatures were expected on Saturday.
Forest fires are a natural and necessary part of the region's life cycles. However, climate change is leading to more intense and more frequent extreme weather events.
