In California, fighting a blaze on a major highway is being made more difficult by the current heat.
According to the fire department, hundreds of firefighters fought the fire in a rural area near Los Angeles on Thursday (local time). Seven firefighters were hospitalized with heat-related injuries, but all were later released to go home.
Fire-fighting aircraft were also used to fight the already 2,000-hectare fire. The fire broke out on Wednesday. So far, only part of the fire has been brought under control, the fire brigade said. “Excessive heat, low humidity and steep terrain will continue to pose the greatest challenge for firefighters,” it said.
California and parts of the western states of Nevada and Arizona are currently suffering from what is known as a heat dome. A high pressure area has settled over the region: For the upcoming holiday weekend in the USA, temperatures of up to around 47 degrees are predicted for some densely populated areas around Los Angeles.
Robert Garcia, the fire chief in charge of the forests around Los Angeles, called the fire’s rapid spread Wednesday a “wake-up call” and said the coming days would be challenging. “Very rapid fire growth and very, very explosive fire behavior” can be expected.
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