Wildfires in Canada and the United States. More than 500,000 hectares burned
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
Dozens of fires, fuelled by extreme heat and lack of rainfall, are devastating North America.
Wildfires in Canada and the United States. More than 500,000 hectares burned
Dozens of fires, fuelled by extreme heat and lack of rainfall, are devastating North America.
After the stifling heat, the wildfires. The western portion of the North American continent is once again living through the nightmare of the blazes, also fuelled by the drought that has left vegetation parched across numerous areas.
In the United States, an area almost five times the size of New York has burned
In the United States, the worst-affected areas are in particular California, Oregon, Arizona and Idaho. However, the National Interagency Fire Center (Nifc) has reported the presence of at least 67 large fires spread across the territories of 12 federal states. In total, more than 370,000 hectares have burned.
Tens of millions of Americans and Canadians have been greeted by gray skies, eerily fiery sunrises and sunsets and a dingy veil of haze obscuring the sky overhead. The culprit? Dozens of raging wildfires burning across the West. wapo.st/3B1ApNN
This, CNN points out, is equivalent to almost five times the area of a city like New York. Furthermore, the Nifc itself has explained that the total area burned since the beginning of the year amounts to 800,000 hectares, while the total number of fires recorded so far is approaching 34,000.
Two firefighters killed in Arizona
So, for example in California, while 2020 was the worst year in modern history in terms of wildfires, 2021 could break that negative record. Local authorities have issued evacuation orders, particularly to the south of Yosemite park. Residents have also been urged to reduce unnecessary consumption of electricity and water. In Arizona, meanwhile, two firefighters lost their lives after crashing in a plane while carrying out a fire monitoring mission.
The U.S. West endured a fourth day of scorching heat as temperatures again threatened to shatter records, major wildfires burned nearly unchecked in drought-stricken Oregon and power grids strained under the pressure reut.rs/3wvy6zj
Likewise, in Canada more than 157,000 hectares have already burned. The epicentre of the phenomenon is British Columbia, which first at the end of June, then in the first ten days of July, experienced two terrifying heatwaves that set the all-time record of 49.6 degrees Celsius in the interior, a few hours' drive from Vancouver.