Tags
Flames spread through the forest in the Lake Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest, California on Friday. Five hundred firefighters backed by air tankers and bulldozers were battling the Lake Fire, which was raging across more than 13,000 acres and was 10% contained.
Reuters/Juneau, Alaska/Phoenix
Firefighters were working on Friday to contain several massive wildfires raging from Alaska to drought-hit California that have forced hundreds of people to evacuate from their homes and damaged dozens of structures.
The so-called Lake Fire in a mountainous national forest outside Los Angeles had swelled to 11,000 acres (4,500 hectares) on Friday from 7,500 acres (3,000 hectares) the day before as it scorched old-growth timber on steep slopes and threatened some 150 structures, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.
Fire crews backed by bulldozers and water-dumping aircraft are battling to keep the blaze from crossing Highway 38 near the small city of Big Bear, the department said.
Highway 38 and other roads remained closed in the area and officials ordered people away from vacation cabins and camp sites.
In Alaska, about 900 firefighters were battling two major blazes in a state that has 56 active wildfires ranging from a few acres to 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares), officials said.
A fire in Willow, about 40 miles (65km) north of Anchorage, has charred slightly more than 7,000 acres (2,800 hectares).
The second major fire, in Sterling, about 140 miles (225km) south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, has blackened more than 7,500 acres (3,000 hectares).
The fires have destroyed about 40 structures, forced nearly 1,000 people from their homes and restricted traffic on a major highway this week.
“We are surrounded by fire right now,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Clay in Anchorage, adding that smoke from both fires could bear down on the city amid shifting winds. “If we get a stable air mass, we are looking at getting smoked-in potentially.”
In Arizona, fire officials said they have gained control of a 1,400-acre (600-hectare) brush fire that once threatened the 2,000-person community of Kearny, about 90 miles (145km) southeast of Phoenix, and forced hundreds of evacuations.
The blaze was 40% contained as of midday Friday and all evacuees have been allowed to return to their homes.
But crews on Friday continued to work the fire’s perimeter to extinguish any hot spots, with full containment expected in a few days, officials said.
The so-called Kearny River Fire broke out on Wednesday and burned through a dry riverbed heavy with volatile salt cedar trees.
There are no comments.
Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.
Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education
Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions
The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged
Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.
The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.
Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.