Wildfires sparked in part by exceptionally severe drought in Arizona (and plenty of other U.S. states) as well as extreme heat are out of control, have already taken out 31 homes, 24 outbuildings, and a truck. Nearly 10,000 people have also been forced to evacuate so far.
These fires are expected to cross over into New Mexico soon as well.
They are headed towards two important power lines as well. If the power lines must be cut, owner El Paso Electric has already warned its 372,000 customers that rolling blackouts could occur.
“The fire has now burned 639 square miles of forest, an increase of 114 square miles from a day earlier, officials said Friday,” the AP reports.
Officially, the fires are only 5% contained (but the percentage is believed to be a bit higher in reality).
“Lighters winds Thursday and Friday have helped the 3,000 firefighters on the lines make progress, but critical fire conditions remain, said Jim Whittington, a spokesman for the teams battling the fire. High winds are expected to return with a vengeance on Saturday.”
The fire is reportedly the 2nd-largest wildfire in Arizona’s history.
Related Stories on Planetsave:
- American Southwest Heading for Permanent Drought
- Eastern Africa Heading to More Frequent Drought
- Dual Amazon Droughts Alarm Scientists
- Mississippi River Floods, Texas Drought, and Global Weirding (& Food Prices/Crises)
- Amazon Gets Hit with Extreme Drought, Perhaps Worst Ever (Global Weirding?)
Pictures via corrales_amanda; NASA Goddard Photo and Video; snowpeak
