Wildfires in California: Fire threatens more than 1,200 homes - power grid damaged

Created: 06/07/2022, 15:14

By: Patrick Huljina

It's been hot and dry in California for weeks.

A new forest fire has broken out a few kilometers southeast of Sacramento.

Sacramento - High temperatures, hardly any rain: Not only in Europe are many countries struggling with heat and drought, the USA is also currently affected.

Wildfires have been ravaging the southwestern United States for weeks.

In the past, the bushfire season in California usually didn't start until October.

Now a rapidly spreading fire threatens more than 1200 buildings.

USA: Severe forest fire in California – cause initially unclear

According to the CalFire authority responsible, the so-called “Electra Fire” spread over an area of ​​almost 16 square kilometers by Tuesday evening (local time).

A total of around 1,300 firefighters are fighting the flames.

So far, the fire has only been five percent contained, it said.

According to the authority, the fire broke out on Monday (July 4th), the US Independence Day, about 75 kilometers southeast of the Californian capital Sacramento.

The cause was initially unknown.

The authority had previously warned of the fire hazard from fireworks.

Firefighters fighting the so-called "Electra Fire" in California.

© Noah Berger/dpa

Forest fires in California: Parts of the power grid damaged

As a spokeswoman for the US energy supplier Pacific Gas & Electric

told the

More than 12,000 people would have had no electricity on Tuesday afternoon.

The authorities urged residents in the affected areas to get to safety.

A severe forest fire in California destroyed numerous houses in May.

The series of bushfires in the southwest of the USA has been going on for several weeks.

According to the authorities, the forest fires are further favored by the persistent drought.