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Hot, Dry Conditions Drive Wildfires in Western US and Canada

VOA News

   Firefighters in the western United States and Canada are
   battlingnumerouswildfires as hot, dry weather worsens drought
   conditions.

   A wildfire burning in southern Oregon, near the California border,
   expanded to more than600 square kilometers, prompting evacuations and
   disrupting electrical transmission lines that deliver electricity to
   California.

   Firefighters are not likely to get much relief in the coming days with
   conditions forecast to be dry and windy,with temperatures well above
   average.Authorities said Sunday they are shifting more crews to working
   overnight whenit is easier to battle the fires and build containment
   lines.

   California is dealing with its largest wildfire of the year, burning
   just north of Lake Tahoe. The Beckwourth Complex Fire grew to348 square
   kilometersin size, while firefightersmanaged to get it 20%contained.

   California power authorities are urging people to conserve energy
   Monday to try to avoid outages,with many parts of the state and
   neighboring Nevada under excessive heat warnings.

   The National Weather Service saidDeath Valley, California, reacheda
   high temperatureof 53 degrees Celsius on Sunday and was expected to
   nearly match that again Monday.

   Farther north, officials in the western Canadian state of British
   Columbia said more than 300 active fires are now burning
   there,anincrease of 36 in two days.

   Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and
   Reuters.

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