Wildfire Spreads Across Western U.S. States

Property and vegetation in almost 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) of land has been destroyed
RTT News Service

7/9/2007 10:51:08 AM Wildfires are sweeping dangerously across South Dakota and several western U.S. states, threatening homes and closing main roads. South Dakota is the worst affected state, where one person has died and 27 homes have been destroyed, local officials said. The fire, sparked by lightning on Saturday, has burned across nine square miles. Residents of at least 50 properties have fled the fire.

Extremely hot temperatures and high winds are acting catalysts to flare up the fire. Temperatures have gone up as high as 100° Fahrenheit, following a drier-than-normal winter. creating ideal conditions for fires. South Dakota state wild land fire co-coordinator Joe Lowe attributes these two factors as creating ideal conditions for fires. Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Colorado, Arizona, Washington D C, and Oregon are the other states affected by fires, forcing many people to evacuate their homes.

Property and vegetation in almost 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) of land has been destroyed in the largest ever wildfire in the state of Utah.

Several road accidents have occurred on a stretch of highway near Richfield, Utah, killing one person. Around 34,000 acres of woods have been scorched in California's Inyo National Forest.

Nancy Upham, a spokeswoman for the Inyo National Forest, said that even seasoned fire fighters are finding it very difficult to tackle the fire, which behaves in a way they have never seen before. 11 firefighters were injured in the Los Padres National Forest in southern California while trying to save 22 homes. See: Wildfire Spreads Across Western U.S. States []