30 Large Wildfires Are Burning Across The West

More than 8,000 firefighters across the West battled dozens of wildfires Thursday that forced thousands of local residents to pack up families, pets and personal treasures to flee the advancing blazes. Thirty large fires were burning nearly 180,000 acres, the National Interagency Fire Center reported, as the region continued to pay a steep price for a recent, record-smashing heat wave that combined with low humidity and wind to create a perfect storm for wildfires. More than 4,200 square miles have burned so far this year, almost the size of Connecticut and 30% more than 2016’s year-to-date total.