California wildfire sparked by broken-down car consumes 2000 acres
Currently 52 wildfires raging from Montana to California as heat wave continues
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Your support makes all the difference.A California wildfire sparked by a broken-down car has now burned through nearly 2,000 acres.
Officials say that the Shell Fire in Southern California was sparked when a car traveling north on I-5 suffered mechanical issues and caught fire.
The flames spread from the car to nearby grass when the driver pulled over on Sunday, according to KERO-TV.
Authorities say that the fire in Kern County is now 65 per cent contained.
Meanwhile the Lava Fire in Northern California’s Siskiyou County has expanded to 13,300 acres, fueled by strong winds and dry fuel in its path, according to Shasta-Trinity National Forest officials.
Evacuations have been ordered in the Lake Shastina, Juniper Valley and Mount Shasta Vista areas and a 30-mile stretch of Highway 97 has been closed.
The fire started last Thursday and is now just 20 per cent contained.
The years-long drought and current string of heatwaves has created volatile fire conditions up and down the West Coast.
Officials say that there are currently 52 wildfires burning from Montana to California, and six states are under heat and fire alerts.
“Hot, dry and breezy conditions will allow for new and existing fires to grow rapidly,” the National Weather Service at Medford said after a Red Flag Warning was issued for California and surrounding areas.
The heatwave in Washington state has seen the road surface on I-5 buckle in several places around Seattle.
The damage came after three consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures, two of which set new records.
Seattle hit 108F degrees on Monday, which broke the all-time high record of 104F degrees that was set the day before.
The previous all-time high record of 103F degrees came in 2009.
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