California wildfires take ferocious turn, burn across 40km of mountainous terrain

California wildfire, which has been burning for more than three weeks now, took an aggressive turn on Wednesday as winds stroked the fire spreading it across an estimated 40 kilometers stretch. As per reports, more wildfires have also taken other parts of the US as far as Washington. In a ray of hope, the fire has now smoothened in Colorado and Montana due to a dramatic intrusion of polar air.

Wildfires take over California

United States National Weather Service said, “The significantly colder air mass is helping reduce critical fire conditions across the West, however most of West coastline and adjacent counties have Red Flag warnings in effect for part of today”. Forecasters said that diminishing winds were possible by Thursday, “bringing some relief to the ongoing fires and fire weather threat”.

In Southern California, the fire took over Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Governor Gavin Newsom said, “We’re encouraged that the wind activity appears to be dying down. The rest of the week looks a little more favorable”.

Read: Firefighters Overtaken By Flames In California Mountains

The US Forest Service had previously closed 8 national forests and 10 more national forests were closed recently citing “unprecedented and historic fire conditions throughout the state”. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the recent wildfire has spread over the area of more than 2 million acres this year, setting a record for a single fire session.

California Fire Dept on Monday issued a statement saying, "This year, wildfires have now burned over 2 million acres. There have been 8 fatalities and more than 3,300 structures destroyed. Much of California is currently under a Red Flag Warning for strong, gusty winds and low humidity." 

Read: As California Burns, The Winds Arrive And The Lights Go Out

According to California Fire Dept data, approximately over 14,100 firefighters have been employed to battle the blazing Wildfire in California. A state of emergency has been declared by the California Governor Gavin Newsom in multiple countries amid wildfires.

Earlier, a major disaster declaration was approved by US President Donald Trump on August 22 and a statewide emergency was also declared by August 18. California has witnessed about 900 wildfires since August 15, most of them starting with lightning strikes. The fires have burnt more than 1.5 million acres (2,343 square miles) claiming eight lives and ravaging nearly 3,300 structures. 

Read: Central California Fire Threatens Thousands Of Structures

Also Read: Wildfires Burn South Of Seattle

(With inputs from AP)