SAN FRANCISCO: As many as 13,000 people have been ordered on Tuesday to evacuate their homes north of San Francisco as the biggest of 21 raging forest fires has threatened their lives.
Already 24 houses been burnt to the ground, as officials say the size of the fires have grown by three times over the weekend. The number of houses under threat rose to 6,900 on Tuesday, authorities said.
Around 9,000 firefighters are battling the blaze in mountainous terrain. One fireman has been killed. US national guard troops have been called in to drop water from helicopters onto the inferno below.
Only 12 per cent of the largest fire has been contained, officials said. An area the size of 233 square kilometers has already been consumed by the fires and it is growing, authorities said.
The White House has raised the National Preparedness to Level 4. Presidential spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama has been briefed on the fires by his homeland security adviser and that his aides remain in close contact with the California governor.
Forest fires have also consumed other parts of the American West, where more than two dozen are currently raging. About 30,000 acres were destroyed east of Los Angeles this summer, and in Montana tourist were forced to flee a blaze in the Glacier National Park.
Forest fires have long been a problem in the west. But a serious drought in California that over the past four years has compounded the issue, forcing authorities to put severe restrictions on water use has left dry timber and brush in highly combustible state. No rain is forecast.
"California's severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox," said California Governor Jerry Brown. "Our courageous firefighters are on the front lines and we'll do everything we can to help them." QNA
