LOS ANGELES — Authorities in Western states warned of the rising risk of wildfires amid a protracted heat wave that has dried out the landscape while setting temperature records and putting lives at risk. Forecasters, meanwhile, said Thursday that some relief was due by the weekend.
California's top fire official said Wednesday that so far this year, the state has responded to more than 3,500 wildfires that have scorched nearly 325 square miles (842 square kilometers) — five times the average burned through July 10 in each of the past five years.
''We are not just in a fire season, but we are in a fire year,'' Joe Tyler, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said at a news conference. ''Our winds and the recent heat wave have exacerbated the issue, consuming thousands of acres. So we need to be extra cautious.''
California crews working in scorching temperatures and single-digit humidity were battling numerous wildfires Thursday, including a stubborn 53-square-mile (137-square-kilometer) blaze that prompted evacuation orders for about 200 homes in the mountains of Santa Barbara County northwest of Los Angeles. It was 16% contained.
California's fires began in earnest in early June, following back-to-back wet winters that pulled the state out of drought but spawned abundant grasses that have since dried out. A June blitz of lightning ignited some of the fires, a risk that may return with thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada this weekend, forecasters said.
Fire crews in Oregon continued Thursday to fight the Larch Creek Fire, which has grown to 16.6 square miles (43 square kilometers) of grassy areas since Tuesday. Lower temperatures and calming winds were helping their efforts, but the local fire danger level remained extreme. One firefighter was treated for heat-related injuries.