Up to 30,000 people evacuated from California towns threatened by Wildfires
Raging wildfires have prompted mandatory evacuations for residents of multiple towns and communities in California including Burns Canyon, Rimrock, Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Ranbow Lane and Heart Bar, while a voluntary evacuation remained in place in Pioneertown, said fire officials.
Meanwhile, residents in several other communities including Lake Williams, Erwin Lake, and Baldwin Lake have been warned of possible evacuation orders.
About 400 campers were also ordered to leave the Lake Williams area on Wednesday, as authorities closed Roadways and campgrounds throughout the areas threatened by wildfires, or affected by the smoke.
More than 1,000 residents in Santa Clarita, LA County, were also ordered to flee their homes late on Wednesday, fire officials said.
Alaska Wildfires
More than 300 wildfires are burning across the state of Alaska. Two major fires, the Sockeye fire and The Card Street fire, have destroyed or damaged more than 100 structures.
Meanwhile, the community of Aniak in Southwest Alaska began evacuating some of its residents Thursday as smoke from a 2,500-acre North Aniak Fire wildfire burning nearby blanketed the village, said a report.
State Disaster
Gov. Walker declared a state disaster on June 19 in response to damages caused by multiple wild land fires on the Kenai Peninsula, including the Card Street Fire near Sterling.
Walker also declared a state disaster in response to widespread damages caused by the Sockeye Fire in Willow and the surrounding region on June 16.
State of Oregon
In Oregon, Gov. Brown has declared drought emergencies for 20 out of Oregon’s 36 counties so far, said spokesman for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
Large forest fire are burning in Siskiyou National Forest and Whitman National Forest.
State of Washington
Gov. Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency for Washington in May due to the snowpack being at historic lows, dwindling rivers and irrigation districts being forced to cut off water to farmers.
Wildfires burning in 10 states
Wildfires are burning in 10 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.
Warnings, Advisories and Watches
Red Flag Warnings, Excessive Heat Warnings,Heat Advisories, Excessive Heat Watches, Fire Weather Watches Air Quality Alerts, and/or Dense Smoke Advisories are currently in effect across most of the West, and parts of multiple other states.