Wildfires continue ravaging western U.S. amid record drought

Devastating wildfires continued to wreak havoc across the western United States, with California battling one of its largest fires in history and Colorado fighting rapidly growing fires that have claimed a life.

In northern California, firefighters are battling the Park Fire, currently the largest active wildfire in the nation. As of Wednesday afternoon, the blaze had consumed more than 391,000 acres (1,582 square km), making it the fifth-largest fire in California's history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The agency reported that the Park Fire, with 18 percent containment, continued to burn aggressively at multiple locations around its perimeter, with smoke expected to be more widespread. "Heavy fuels are very receptive and are near record levels of dryness," it said in a status update Wednesday afternoon.

Four counties, namely Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama, have been affected by the fire. Damage inspection teams have completed 75 percent of their assessments, revealing the destruction of 361 structures and damage to 36 others in Butte and Tehama counties, said Cal Fire. More than 5,800 personnel are currently engaged in fighting the Park Fire, utilizing 521 fire engines and 41 helicopters.

The fire started on July 24 in a park near Chico. The cause has been traced to arson. A 42-year-old man, Ronnie Dean Stout II, was arrested and charged with reckless arson. The suspect made his first court appearance on Monday, with the arraignment scheduled to continue Thursday.

Elsewhere in California, the Borel Fire has scorched 58,682 acres (237 square km) across Kern County, with firefighters having 34 percent contained by Wednesday, Cal Fire reported. This fire began on July 24 following a fatal car accident. Cal Fire said the fire behavior was "severe again" on Wednesday due to "long-term red-flag-warning weather conditions."

A new wildfire, known as the Pedro Fire, is also growing rapidly. Starting Tuesday near New Don Pedro Reservoir, it has quickly spread to 3,647 acres (15 square km) across Mariposa and Tuolumne counties, with only 7 percent containment. The fire posed an active threat to structures and power lines, prompting evacuation orders and warnings.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, the situation is equally dire, with four wildfires reported in just three days, forcing hundreds of evacuations and claiming at least one life. The Stone Canyon Fire, which has consumed 1,580 acres (6.4 square km) of private land in the Denver area, claimed a victim and injured four firefighters on Wednesday, according to local TV station Denver7. The remains were discovered in one of five homes destroyed by the blaze, which was 20 percent contained.

The Alexander Mountain Fire, reported on Monday, has grown to over 6,700 acres (27 square km) in Larimer County, prompting mandatory evacuations. The Quarry Fire has expanded from 50 acres (0.2 square km) to more than 200 acres (0.8 square km), threatening several subdivisions. In Boulder County, the Lake Shore Fire was reported Wednesday afternoon near Gross Reservoir, leading to the evacuation of a neighborhood.

The Durkee Fire in Oregon, the second-largest fire burning in the country, has charred nearly 294,000 acres (1,190 square km) since it was ignited by lightning on July 17 near the Oregon-Idaho border. Despite being 58 percent contained as of Wednesday, firefighters faced additional challenges with no rainfall in sight.

The challenges faced by firefighters are compounded by another wave of high temperatures after a brief period of cooler weather in California. Weather forecasts have predicted much warmer and drier conditions later this week, with winds and potential thunderstorms that could exacerbate the situation.

Warmer air will return to Northern California and southwest Oregon as a ridge aloft begins to build over the area, according to the Wednesday report by the National Interagency Fire Center. Extremely dry conditions, with minimum relative humidity between 5 and 15 percent, are expected to continue over Southern California, the southern Great Basin, and Colorado.

As of Wednesday, 95 large wildfires were burning across the country, scorching nearly 2.2 million acres (8,903 square km) in total, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.