About half of the U.S. is covered in wildfire smoke due to numerous fires burning across the western half of the country.
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Fire crews in California have been busy working to contain and extinguish numerous wildfires that erupted over the weekend after more than 100 lightning strikes were reported inside Tahoe National Forest in just 24 hours.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest reported 126 lightning strikes on Saturday, and that’s what led to the ignition of at least four fires.
This image shows the Palen Fire south of Loyalton Pines, California, on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
(Sierra County Sheriffs Office/Facebook)
Officials say they’re working to snuff out the Crystal, Palen, Sand and Alpine fires, and crews have successfully prevented them from jumping fire containment lines and expanding.
The Palen Fire, which was reported to be three acres in size, is expected to be fully contained soon, and fire crews are “continuing to mop up operations.”
The U.S. Forest Service said aircraft would be conducting reconnaissance missions from the air across the forest to look for additional fires that may erupt.
There has been a sharp uptick in wildfire reports across the West due to extreme heat and dry conditions, and the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported at least 62 large wildfires burning across the U.S. that have scorched more than 900,000 acres.
The McDonald Fire in Alaska is the nation’s largest fire and has burned more than 151,000 acres outside of Fairbanks.
(FOX Weather)
The peak of wildfire season in California typically occurs from August through October, but officials warn that the season is now a yearly event, with blazes possible at any time.
So far, in 2024, CAL FIRE has reported that nearly 100 buildings have been destroyed by the thousands of wildfires that have impacted the state.
The ongoing Horse Gulch Fire in Montana’s Helena National Forest spans over 600 acres and is fueled by hot, windy and dry conditions. Evacuations have been ordered by the Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs office. Firefighters are working to establish a line on the southern side of the fire to protect at-risk areas.
Excessive heat has been building across the U.S., and temperatures in California in the 90s and 100s have made fire suppression efforts difficult. At least six people, including firefighters, have been injured, with heat-related illnesses playing a significant role in the safety of first responders.
The fire season has already claimed the lives of at least two people, including a Montana wildland firefighter pilot who died when her plane crashed into a reservoir and a woman who was killed while trying to extinguish a fire with her hose as flames surrounded her home in Northern California.