Thousands Told to Flee Raging California Wildfire

AFP/APP

United States:Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate as a wildfire rages out of control in northern California, with a swathe of the United States in the grip of a “record-breaking and dangerous” heatwave that was complicating firefighting efforts.

More than 3,500 acres (1,400 hectares) of grass and woodland have been consumed since Tuesday when a blaze erupted just outside Oroville.

The town, near the state capital of Sacramento, is just 23 miles (38 kilometers) from Paradise, a community that was razed in 2018 by the deadliest fire in California history, which claimed the lives of 85 people.

Garrett Sjolund, fire chief of Butte County, said the area was under a so-called “red flag warning.”

“The conditions out there that are in our county this summer are much different than we’ve experienced the last two summers,” he told reporters.

“The fuels are very dense. Brush is dry, and as you can see, any wind will move a fire out very quickly.”

Over 25,000 people in the area were under orders to evacuate on Wednesday, local NBC affiliate KCRA reported.