California’s biggest wildfires in state history are set to burn through the entirety of August, as distrust in government and consistent high temperatures hamper work.
The so-called Mendocino Complex fires have grown to 454 sq miles, with barely a third contained as they engulfed the southern tip of the Mendoncino national forest, the Guardian reports.
That is just 100 miles away from San Francisco, and thousands of people have been forced to flee as at least 75 homes have been destroyed.
More than 14,000 firefighters from different US states are fighting the blaze right now, with help from Austrialian and New Zealand colleagues, who arrived on Sunday.
With eight major fires burning out of control in California, President Donald Trump has declared a “major disaster” in the state.
He blamed “bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized”. His remarks were challenged.
However, scientists agree that climate change is playing a large role in the current high temperatures and fire season.
The weather forecast isn’t promising the firefighters any help either, as temperatures are expected to hit 43C this week.
California fires set to blaze through August
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