[ad_1]
Trump will visit McClellan Park, which has served as a firefighting base in Northern California. The president will receive information on the extinction work and the extent of the damage.
“The President continues to support those who are fighting the devastating fires,” the White House said in a statement, according to NBC.
There are 28 major fires in California that are being fought by more than 16,000 firefighters, according to the Cal Fire state fire department. Since the beginning of the year, around 1.3 million hectares have been burned, more than all of Uppland.
In Oregon and Washington, 27 large fires are burning, which have so far devoured 600,000 acres. More than 8,000 firefighters are involved in firefighting and rescue efforts in the two states, according to the Land Management Authority (BLM).
In all three Pacific coast states, the cooler and more humid air has brought relief to firefighters. Next week, it may rain over parts of Washington and Oregon.
– The worst fires have crept down from the Cascade Mountains, driven by strong and persistent easterly winds for three full days. They have begun to calm down, which has allowed us to draw limits, where we have managed to draw them around some minor fires that have thus been stopped. Some of the larger ones, which have penetrated populated areas, are not spreading as quickly and we have started securing certain border lines, says Jim Gersbach of the Oregon Forest Service.
I’m not sure about going back
This allows firefighters to enter the fire area and extinguish the large amounts of fuel that are still burning.
– So, if the wind picks up speed again, we hope the fires do not spread along the border lines. It’s a huge effort, he says.
For some who are in areas that may be subject to evacuations, the level of risk has been reduced, but those who have already been evacuated in most cases have not yet been able to return. Dozens of people are still missing.
– Those in immediate danger may have had their houses burned, or they may have burned nearby. So it is not safe for them to return, there may be trees falling down, roads being blocked or still burning in the area. In many places, power lines have been knocked down, so there is no electricity or water, so it can be difficult to be there, Gersbach says.
Smoke covers the states
Calming winds have caused smoke to cover most of Oregon and Washington, and parts of California.
– Everyone in western Oregon who looks out their windows sees a gray sky, when it should be light blue. It looks like it’s getting dark, although it’s only early afternoon, Jim says, adding that everyone is encouraged to stay indoors and not exercise outdoors.
The smoke both helps and overturns. Helicopters and water bombers, for example, have failed to deploy, but at the same time smoke obscures the sun, causing the temperature to drop, and this in turn helps firefighters on the ground.
Even though it’s raining over the northern part of the Pacific coast, it looks worse for California, where winds next week may continue to make fire fighting difficult, according to The Weather Channel.