WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — Some 94 large forest fires are still active in the United States, most of them in the northwest of the country, while alarm grows over poor air quality in the territories, news reports said.
According to reports from the CNN network, the flames occupy areas of the states of Idaho, Montana, Washington, California, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.
Dry air and temperatures after a record heat wave are contributing to active fire behavior across the region, the report said.
Meanwhile, the CBS News channel reported evacuations for various communities and power cuts to deal with the disasters.
In the opinion of scientist Daniel Swain, last week was “the most unusual and extreme week in terms of weather in California in quite some time.”
During that time, the state experienced high temperatures and suffered the ravages of tropical storm Kay, which could still cause storms and some flooding.
CNN highlighted the positive impact of the phenomenon, since its rains and abundant humidity helped the firefighters of that region who were fighting the fires.
The past month was the third hottest meteorological summer (from June 1 to Aug 31) recorded in this northern country, said the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The past month was also marked by several extreme rainfall events that resulted in historic flooding, the agency added.
Climate change has made the West hotter and drier over the past three decades, scientists say, making conditions more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA
