Firefighters up against it

– With gusting winds, sky-high temperatures and almost zero chance of rain in Northern California this week, scorching weather poses a persistent threat to firefighters battling out-of-control blazes on parched land, officials said.

“Unfortunately, they’re not going to get a break any time soon,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Centre in College Park, Maryland.

“It’s pretty doggone hot and dry and it’s going to stay that way,” Hurley said early yesterday.

Some areas in central and northern California could see 43oC and winds of 24km/h, with higher gusts that could fan the flames and spread embers.

A massive, out-of-control northern California wildfire called the Mendocino Complex Fire that destroyed 68 homes and forced thousands to flee has become the fifth largest in state history, officials said on Sunday, as crews battled high temperatures and strong winds.

It has charred more than 109 000ha as of late Sunday, making it the fifth largest blaze in California’s history, officials said.

The Mendocino is one of 17 major wildfires burning across California that prompted US President Donald Trump on Sunday to declare a “major disaster” in the state. – Reuters

Los Angeles