More than 2,500 firefighters with the assistance of 17 helicopters were yesterday (local time) battling the flames of an “explosive” fire that continued to spread at a “very rapid” rate in the forested hills of California, near the famous Yosemite National Park.
The blaze, dubbed the “Oak Fire,” broke out on Friday and has already burned through about 70,000 acres of vegetation, according to the latest available tally released last night.
The fire, which is already the largest wildfire in California this season, “is moving very quickly and the response window to evacuate residents is limited,” California fire chief John Hagee told CNN. According to the expert, the speed and evolution of the fire is “truly unprecedented”.
“Fires were 100 feet high,” David Lee, one of the residents evacuated, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper. The 55-year-old was among the first to leave the area on Friday and believes his home was completely destroyed by the fire. “It was coming directly at us. That fire was by far the fastest I’ve ever seen,” he added.
The Oak Fire was 16 percent contained and 3,700 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, officials said.
The fire is fueled primarily by dead trees and brush in the area, which, like most of California, is plagued by chronic drought.
“It’s a direct result of climate change,” said John Hagee. “We can’t have ten years of drought in California and expect things to stay the same.”
Source: RES-MPE
Source: Capital
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