The forest fires in California again claim numerous lives.
In the face of the tragedy, several politicians no longer show any understanding for climate change deniers.
The
forest fires
on the west coast of the USA have already left numerous
deaths
.
Tens of thousands of people
are on the run from the
flames
.
The
number of victims
could rise massively - many areas are
cut off
from the outside world
.
San Francisco - The devastating
bush and forest fires
on the west coast of the USA have devastated entire towns and killed at least
six other people
.
Five cities in the state of Oregon were "largely destroyed," as
Governor Kate Brown described
on Wednesday.
The authorities warned that the
number of victims
could increase in the next few days as many areas are completely
cut off
from the outside world
.
Evacuation areas for #TwoFourTwoFire, as of Sept. 9, 2020 (from this evenings town hall meeting).
For a downloadable, printable version of this map, click here - https://t.co/PA5YLEknd6 pic.twitter.com/FKQauR72Eb
- SCOFMP Fire Info (@scofmpfireinfo) September 10, 2020
Pretty much all of her customers have "an apocalypse on their mind," said San Francisco cafe clerk Leah Lozano, the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday.
"It's a metaphor for our current plight."
Forest fires in California / USA: One year old baby dies
According to media reports, a
one-year-old child was
killed in
Washington state
and his parents were rushed to hospital with severe burns.
As the broadcaster
ABC reported
, citing the sheriff of the Okanogan district, the family had
left their property by car
on the run from the so-called
Cold Springs Fire
.
Relatives reported the three as missing on Tuesday.
The family was found on Wednesday on the banks of the Columbia River and they left their car, which later burned out.
The fire has now destroyed an area of around 660 square kilometers there.
In the entire state, an area of almost 2,000 square kilometers is affected.
+
Forest fires in California: The Golden Gate Bridge in the glow of shimmering red smoke.
© Harold POSTIC / AFP
Three fatalities were also found in Northern California.
Previously, at least eight people in California had been killed in the wildly raging bush and forest fires there for weeks.
Only "smoking ruins" remain of large parts of the city of Talent in Oregon, as resident Sandra Spelliscy told the
AFP
news
agency
: "There are several districts where there is no single building, only the skeletons of chimneys or charred household appliances."
Forest fires in California: Hundreds of homes destroyed
The renewed massive spread of the fires is
facilitated
by a
heat wave
and
dry wind
.
Hundreds more houses have been destroyed since the weekend, tens of thousands of people had to flee from the flames.
The catastrophe could become
"the greatest loss of human life and property"
to bush and forest fires in Oregon's history, warned Governor Brown.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee also called the extent of the fire
"unprecedented and heartbreaking
.
"
He blamed climate change for the fires.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said that in the face of the fires, he had no sympathy for climate change deniers: "It has absolutely nothing to do with the reality on the ground."
In California, the flames have already destroyed a record area of more than
8,000 square kilometers
.
The so-called Bear Fire recently spread at breakneck speed around 240 kilometers north of San Francisco.
It combined with older fires and threatened the city of Oroville.
Forest fires in California: Glowing flames over San Francisco
+
Orange smoke over San Francisco: In the US state of California, the forest fires are causing devastating damage.
© Brittany Hosea-Small / AFP
San Francisco
and other California regions awoke to an orange sky on Wednesday.
The phenomenon was created by the smoke from the fires, which mixed with fog and blocked the sunlight - this created a surreal-looking scene like in a
disaster film
.
More than
170,000 households
in California were without electricity because the utility company PG&E shut down the power grid in large parts of the state due to the extreme risk of forest fires.
According to the fire department, more than 3,000 buildings in California have been destroyed by the fire.
Bush and forest fires have risen sharply in California in recent years, for which experts believe global warming is partly responsible.
In November 2018, 86 people died in the north of the state in the most momentous forest fire in California's history.
(AFP / frs)
* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editorial network.
List of rubric lists: © Harold POSTIC / AFP
