The biggest wildfire in the US is only 7% contained, while more evacuations take place

(CNN) – The forest fire of BootlegThe largest currently in the United States, it was still only 7% contained as of early Friday, having burned nearly 80,000 acres in southern Oregon, where more evacuations have occurred.

Communities around Summer Lake and the city of Paisley were being evacuated, authorities reported on the information page at Facebook about the fire. Early on Friday, due to the “extreme behavior of the forest fires”, it was indicated that the crews withdrew from the vulnerable areas and were regrouping.

The fire, which started July 6 in the Fremont-Winema National Forest and on private land near the Oregon town of Sprague River, has burned 91,958 hectares, according to InciWeb, the clearinghouse for information on wildfires across the country.

The fire has also affected transmission lines used to import electricity into California, according to authorities.

“This fire is going to continue to grow – extremely dry vegetation and the weather are not in our favor,” said Joe Hessel, Incident Commander for the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Historic heat wave

The Bootleg is one of the nine forest fires currently burning in Oregon, which has recently been affected by the historic heat wave that has struck the western United States.

The fire has destroyed at least 21 homes and endangered another 2,000, according to state firefighters.
The gravity has prompted California authorities to send even more resources to the State to fight the fire.

“California’s latest mutual aid deployment to Oregon comes just one day after the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group raised national preparedness to Level 5 – its highest level – due to high fire activity across the country. and the resources committed to the major fires, “California Governor’s Office Gavin Newsom said in a press release.

“The impacts of climate change are making wildfires increasingly dangerous and destructive throughout the western US,” he said.

But Oregon faces another problem that could make fire fighting more difficult: a shortage of jet fuel.

The Lake County, Oregon airport was unable to replenish its Jet A aviation fuel supply until Wednesday, after it ran out on Sunday, the County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release. The airport is home to a base where helicopters fighting the Bootleg fire refuel and fly to fight the flames, said Jamie Knight, the fire’s public information officer.

The airport manager placed an order for fuel six days earlier, but delivery was delayed due to a national shortage, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Fortunately, the shortage has not yet affected firefighting, Knight said, adding that Jet A is a type of jet fuel used in turbine engines, tankers and helicopters.
“We’ve had a near-critical shortage,” Knight said. “We have not reached a point where the lack of fuel has stopped operations.”

Ocean Air Aviation delivered 13,200 liters of Jet A on Wednesday, and Lake County supplier Phillips 66 is expected to bring in an additional 32,200 liters of fuel on Friday, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Wildfires continue to ravage the western United States.

As of Thursday, the United States was dealing with 71 fires that have burned 402,127 hectares so far, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In addition to the nation’s largest fire in Oregon, the Log Fire broke out northeast of the Bootleg and has charred more than 2,000 acres.

In Washington state, the Chelan County Red Apple Fire, which began July 13, has burned 4,450 hectares and remains 10% contained, according to Inciweb.

Authorities have placed 1,500 homes under evacuation notice, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Meanwhile, California’s Butte County is battling the Dixie Fire, which has grown to burn 890 acres without containment, according to CAL Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Residents of the area are also under evacuation warning.

With information from Joe Sutton, Amanda Watts, Chris Boyette and Andy Rose.