A forest fire that broke out on Friday near Yosemite National Park in the US state of California, which was hit by heat and drought, has spread further. More than 6,000 hectares of land are now affected and the fire is still not contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Sunday. The massive heat is expected to continue in large parts of the United States in the coming days.
According to the ministry, more than 2,000 firefighters, including 17 firefighting helicopters, were deployed in California to contain the flames. The so-called Oak Fire is raging mainly in the Mariposa district east of San Francisco and has already destroyed ten houses and damaged five others. Almost 2,700 houses are threatened by the fire that broke out on Friday afternoon for reasons that are still unknown. More than 6,000 people were evacuated, according to a spokesman for the California Fire Department. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a “state of emergency” in Mariposa County on Saturday.
“Mother Nature has already declared a global emergency”
The western United States, which is suffering from a prolonged drought, has repeatedly experienced wildfires of exceptional magnitude and high intensity in recent years. At the same time, the fire season is getting longer and longer. The fire brigades fear particularly severe fires this year.
Massive heat is currently affecting much of the United States. A heat warning was in effect over the weekend in more than a dozen states with a total population of 85 million. In regions in the middle and north-east of the country, temperatures are expected to drop slightly at the beginning of the week.
In eastern Kansas, in Oklahoma and in parts of Missouri and Arkansas, 37 degrees and more are still expected. Also affected are the typically cooler regions on the northwestern Pacific coast, where temperature records could be broken in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service. Public cold rooms have been set up in several cities for the homeless and people without access to air-conditioned buildings.
Former US Vice President and climate activist Al Gore warned on Sunday of the consequences of the US Congress’ “inaction” in the face of climate change in the context of heat and drought in the United States. In an interview with ABC television, when asked whether President Joe Biden should declare a climate emergency, Gore said, “Mother Nature has already declared a global emergency.”
The situation will “quickly get much worse,” Gore told NBC in another interview. However, the recent extreme weather events could also be a wake-up call for members of the US Congress who have so far refused to take decisive action to counteract global warming. The “ever worse and more serious” weather phenomena have already “initiated a rethink,” said Gore.