Wildfires Sweep Through US, Triggering Evacuations and Road Closures

Wildfires are wreaking havoc across the western United States, leading to widespread evacuations and road closures.

According to Xinhua news agency, the situation deteriorated further on Wednesday. The Durkee Fire in Oregon has caused Interstate 84 to close in both directions between Ontario and Baker City, the Oregon Department of Transportation reported. The fire is advancing quickly towards the highway in several spots around Farewell Bend.

The Durkee Fire, currently the largest in Oregon, was ignited by lightning and detected on the morning of July 17. It has burned over 239,000 acres and remains completely uncontained as of Wednesday.

Baker and Malheur counties are under level three evacuation orders due to the Durkee and Cow Valley fires. Oregon’s wildfire tracker indicates there are 115 active fires in the state.

In Washington State, a fire near Naches, which ignited on Monday, has led to mandatory evacuations. Another fire near Bickelton has also prompted evacuations and is threatening a natural gas plant, officials say.
The Apache Fire began Tuesday evening in the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County, California. The blaze has burned 250 acres, with evacuation orders in place for homes on Apache Canyon Road, local fire officials said.

The US Forest Service said that millions of acres of national forests in Oregon and Washington are suffering from record-dry conditions, contributing factors that have been fanned by lightning storms, a factor in the extreme expansion of wildfires.