The United States is facing numerous fires at the same time, including two gigantic ones in the American West.
In California, fires have already destroyed more than 6,000 hectares, while thousands of people have been evacuated in New Mexico.
The drought and heat make the authorities fear a summer of all dangers.
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The 8 p.m.
The fire progressed very quickly. After just a few hours, a wall of flames rose into the New Mexico sky, sometimes plunging the area into absolute darkness in broad daylight. More than 6,000 hectares have already been devastated, the equivalent of the area of a city like Nice.
Faced with the sudden scale of this fire, 5,000 people were called to leave the small town of Ruidoso in a hurry. An area that has been experiencing extreme drought for a year, with temperatures exceeding 30°C in recent days. Across the state, currently in the grip of six fires, two of which are particularly dangerous, authorities have already carried out more than 7,000 evacuations.
Landscapes reduced to ashes
Further west, California also continues to burn, in nine different places. Even though the wind has calmed, allowing firefighters to contain the progression of the fires, the flames are still there, sometimes very impressive. Their work is far from finished: in the middle of landscapes in ashes, they must now prevent possible resumptions.
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“We haven’t had any big fires in the last two years, at least not of this size”explains Captain Sheila Kelliher, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County firefighters, in the TF1 report to be found at the top of this article. “The vegetation has therefore had time to grow, which makes plenty of fuel ready to burn. With the wind and the low humidity, it becomes very dry.” In total, around fifty fires are currently recorded throughout the country.
