The Beckwourth Complex Fire is the largest fire in California so far this year. According to InciWeb, the Beckwourth Complex Fire was more than 142 square miles and 26% contained on Tuesday.
The fire destroyed more than 20 homes over the weekend as gusty winds and a heatwave stoked the flames.
SF Gate reported that the blaze, which is located along the Nevada state line in Plumas National Forest near Beckwourth, California, is nearly three times the size of San Francisco.
The fire jumped U.S. 395, which was closed, on Saturday, in Doyle, California. The road reopened Sunday, with officials cautioning motorists not to stop along the area closest to the fire.
More than 3,000 families have been forced to evacuate the area.
Firefighters were battling the flames amid triple digit temperatures over the weekend and into Monday.
The Associated Press reported that state regulators asked consumers on Monday to voluntarily “conserve as much electricity as possible” to avoid any outages.
This year, California’s wildfires are outpacing the unprecedented 2020 wildfire season. The state has seen 4,599 wildfires since Jan. 1.
In Oregon, firefighters are working against a massive fire, dubbed the Bootleg Fire, located in Fremont-Winema National Forest. The fire is more than 315 square miles and is still 0% contained. The fire was doubling in size each day from Thursday through Saturday, but growth slowed on Sunday, OregonLive reported.
More than 900 people from across the state are fighting the blaze.
Areas near the small town of Beatty and Sprague River, Oregon, were under immediate evacuation orders and residents of the Klamath Forest Estates and Moccasin Hills were told to be ready to evacuate.
The 90-square-mile Lick Creek Fire, formerly called the Dry Gulch Fire, in Asotin County, Washington, is currently 20% contained.
Crews were conducting controlled burns on Monday to try to consume brush that would fuel the fire, which has been burning since a July 7 lightning strike, the Union-Bulletin reported.
There are currently 66 large fires burning across the West consuming approximately 1,434 square miles throughout 11 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that more than 86% of the West is under extreme or exceptional drought conditions.
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