A massive wildfire in the U.S. state of Oregon has rapidly expanded, consuming approximately 1,554 square kilometers—an area more than half the size of Rhode Island’s land mass—officials reported on Friday.
The Durkee Fire, ignited by lightning on July 17, has become the largest blaze in the United States so far this year. As of Friday, containment efforts have reached only 20 percent, leaving communities on edge as firefighters battle the relentless flames.
Tragedy struck when a single-pilot tanker plane contracted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management went missing on Thursday while combating another wildfire, the Falls Fire, near the town of Seneca on the edge of the Malheur National Forest. Authorities confirmed on Friday morning that the plane was found and the pilot was killed in the crash.
The Falls Fire has grown to 567 square kilometers with containment at 55 percent, according to the government website InciWeb.
Wildfires have been ravaging the Pacific Northwest, with nearly 4,047 square kilometers burned in Oregon and 509 square kilometers in Washington state so far this year, reported the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, Oregon.
In California, the Park Fire has forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 residents in Butte County, north of the state’s capital city, Sacramento. The fire expanded overnight from 505 square kilometers on Thursday to 664 square kilometers on Friday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Nationwide, more than 110 active fires covering 7,250 square kilometers were burning across the United States on Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
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Wildfire in U.S.' Oregon scorches over half the size of Rhode Island
cgtn.com
