A wave of wildfires raging on the West Coast of the United States threatens to destroy thousands of homes in a wine-growing region between Northern California and neighboring Oregon as rescue teams battle against the clock to put out the flames in the midst of a heat wave.
The Pickett Fire, the most worrisome fire so far at 13% contained and having charred 6,800 acres (2,700 hectares), has put thousands of homes in Napa County on alert and under evacuation orders, according to the latest bulletin from the California Fire Department (CalFire).
West Coast fire alarm
The fire affects the Napa wine region, located in Northern California.
Although fire activity moderated over the weekend, the flames “continue to be fueled by brush, grasses and dead trees, which contributes to their intensity,” Cal Fire added.
The California government has deployed emergency personnel to 12 counties, including the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
In addition to Kern, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sierra Nevada, Plumas, Placer, Placer, Calaveras and Trinity counties, among others, to assist in fire suppression efforts.
In neighboring Oregon, the Flat fire has put more than 4,000 homes at risk as the flames spread out of control.
“The Flat Fire is estimated to cover 21,971 acres (8,500 hectares) with 0 percent containment.
The fire is burning approximately two miles northeast of the city of Sisters” in central Oregon, the state Fire Department said.
These fires are once again compromising the U.S. West Coast, amid fears of a repeat of the devastating fires that ravaged Los Angeles County earlier this year.
The wave of fires, which started last January 7 and took more than three weeks to be completely extinguished, left at least 31 dead, 150,000 evacuated, more than 16,000 structures destroyed.
That wave of fires will go down in U.S. history as one of the costliest natural disasters.
Meanwhile, the alarm continues on the West Coast due to the fires.
