Evacuation orders are in place across parts of the Western U.S. and Southwest Canada as extremely hot and dry conditions fuel the spread of wildfires in the region.
There were 183 new fires, including eight large ones, across the U.S. since Saturday, the National Interagency Fire Center reported on Sunday. More than 30,000 personnel with over 640 crews were assigned to the fires. Firefighters were battling more than 94 large fires across the country, the agency also said.
Evacuations are in place across Utah, where close to a dozen active wildfires have scorched more than 300,000 acres, as of Sunday evening. The Rocky Canyon Fire, some 30 miles northeast of Salt Lake City, grew to more than 2,800 acres since it began on Friday and is 0% contained, as of Sunday — leading to evacuations in Morgan County.
Two pilots died on Friday after their helicopter crashed while battling the Widemouth 2 Fire in Fishlake National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed Sunday.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox mourned their deaths in a social media post: “They put themselves in harm’s way to protect our state and gave their lives in that service.”
The Widemouth 2 fire has scorched more than 118,000 acres, becoming the largest fire in the state this year, surpassing the Babylon Fire which has burned over 107,000 acres. The fire was 27% contained as of Sunday morning.
In Oregon, a bulldozer operator identified by officials as Jason Ensign, died battling the Wrights Spring Fire, which has spread over 33,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday afternoon.
Large fires are also burning in Washington state, Idaho, Montana and Colorado.
At least 60,000 people were evacuated in the Spokane, Wash., area as firefighters work to contain several fires that have scorched over 10,000 acres. Local fire officials on Sunday said that “crews made exceptional progress” on containing the fires and were working to ensure there are “no remaining heat sources posing threats.”
“An abnormally dry and warm winter has led to an extremely difficult fire season,” said the U.S. Forest Service Fishlake National Forest.
In Canada, there were more than 100 active wildfires in the country’s British Columbia province, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service. High temperatures and wind gusts are expected to linger across the southeastern parts of the province and the Okanagan region on Sunday.
“We are expecting a high potential for lightning-caused wildfire starts, particularly in the central Interior and the Okanagan which are receiving limited precipitation and dry lightning,” the service said in an update on Sunday. “New ignitions occurring during periods of hot and dry weather can establish and spread quickly.”
A state of emergency has been declared in the British Columbia province where the Bald Range wildfire has prompted more than 20,000 people to evacuate.
“At every step, we’re focused on ensuring that emergency crews have the tools they need to protect people,” said British Columbia Premier David Eby on social media.
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