Western Farm Press Logo

More than 90 fires have burned more than 5,300 square miles as winds fan flames.

Compiled by staff

September 9, 2020

3 Min Read
An orange sky filled with wildfire smoke hangs above hiking trails at the Limeridge Open Space in Concord, California, on Sep
An orange sky filled with wildfire smoke hangs above hiking trails at the Limeridge Open Space in Concord, California, on Sept. 9, 2020.BRITTANY HOSEA-SMALL/Contributor/AFP/Getty Images

Wildfires have burned hundreds of homes in Oregon as strong winds continue to propel the fires in California, Oregon and Washington state, according to the New York Times. In northern California, a wildfire grew by a quarter-million acres overnight.

The flames forced mass evacuations as firefighters battled to protect lives, homes and businesses. More than 90 major fires have burned more than 5,300 square miles, according to USA Today. The fires are raging in 13 Western states, according to a count by the National Fire Information Center.

Some of the fires:

  • Diablo winds fanned fires in northern and central California. The Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest destroyed more than 350 structures and forced evacuation of more than 30,000 people in Fresno and Madera counties. Fires were also blazing in southern California.

  • Strong winds were driving wildfires in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

 

 

Weather whiplash

A temperature plunge of as much as 60 degrees, caused by a dramatic intrusion of polar air, helped slow wildfires in Colorado and Montana, according to KLTV.com.

Farm impact

Farm workers are coping with the smoke and ash as they work to harvest the nation's food in California, NPR reports.

From social media

 

 

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like