Wildfires Grow in Western US Amid Record-Breaking Heat Wave
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Wildfires have burned across 863,000 acres in 12 western U.S. states, as deadly record-breaking heat waves and a prolonged drought persist throughout the region. Several wildfires experienced rapid growth over the weekend; as of Monday afternoon, Oregon’s Bootleg Fire had burned over 150,000 acres and interrupted power lines running into California. California’s Beckwourth Complex Fire had burned 86,000 acres by Monday afternoon, expanding into neighboring Nevada. Fires had also burned over 500,000 acres in western Canada. This adds to a record-breaking year for wildfires, with officials saying that “more than twice as many acres burned in the first six months of [2021] than during the same period [in 2020].” Additionally, two firefighters died in a plane crash on Saturday while surveying Arizona’s Cedar Basin Fire, which had burned 734 acres by Monday.
As of Monday afternoon, coverage came primarily from left- and center-rated outlets, many of which used descriptive language like “broiled,” “explosive,” and “scorches.” Right-rated outlets tended to use an Associated Press article for their coverage of the fires.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Western wildfires have burned an area 4 times the size of NYC. Here are some key fires
The National Interagency Fire Center says 55 large fires have burned over 768,000 acres across 12 states.
The acreage -- about 1,200 square miles -- is comparable to four times the area of New York City.
From January 1 to July 11 this year, over 1.8 million acres have burned in 33,491 fires, according to the NIFC, surpassing the previous year's tally for the same period.
The number of fires burned so far this year is the second highest to 2011's 39,459 fires
Fires in the Golden State have charred thousands of acres, more...
From the Left
Wildfires rage as US West grapples with heat wave, drought 
Firefighters were working in extreme temperatures across the U.S. West and struggling to contain wildfires, the largest burning in California and Oregon, as another heat wave baked the region, straining power grids.
The largest wildfire of the year in California — the Beckwourth Complex — was raging along the Nevada state line and has burned about 140 square miles (362 square kilometers) as of Monday morning and state regulators asked consumers to voluntarily “conserve as much electricity as possible” to avoid any outages starting in the afternoon.
In Oregon, the...
From the Center
US heatwave: Wildfires rage in western states as temperatures soar
Wildfires are raging in the west of the United States as the region is hit by a heatwave that has brought record temperatures to several areas.
Communities have been told to evacuate as firefighters struggle to battle the blazes in the extreme conditions.
In California, residents were urged to cut power consumption after interstate power lines were knocked out.
On Saturday, two firefighters in Arizona died when their aircraft crashed while responding to a blaze.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas, Nevada, matched its all-time temperature high of 47.2C (117F) on Saturday.
Firefighters battling...
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