In the latest update from the United States, more than 14,000 people had to evacuate after the Tamarack Fire. The fire has been burning for two weeks and grew to 58,417 acres and left only 4 percent containment.
New Evacuation Orders Issued on Friday As Fire Continued To Grow
The fire in California’s Alpine County was ignited by a lightning strike on July 4. Then on Thursday, the blaze exploded in size within the bordering state of Nevada. This further sparked a spot fire in the east of Highway 395, the main route running through the mountains.
Local media reported that as the fire continued to grow across the highway on both sides, new evacuation orders were released to communities along the highway corridors. This further increased the number of evacuees to 2439.
Apart from the evacuations, the fire destroyed at least 10 buildings along with the forced cancellation of Death Ride which is an annual cycling race. This left thousands of riders and spectators stranded.
As per the reports, more than 1300 personnel across the country have come to help battle the fire after it quickly expanded on Thursday and forced many to regroup and take a tactical pause.
Fire To Remain Active For A Few days
A video clip of the fire in California went viral over social media. It showed a group of firefighters driving through the inferno but remain untouched from the fire. They made a narrow escape from the fast-tracked Tamarack Fire as they continued to battle it.
Even though lighter winds were forecasted for Friday night, the fire crews expected the fire to remain active because of the massive dry forest areas on the ground and the head in the forecast.
Reports said that the burning conditions of the fire would be similar to the one on Thursday. The extreme fire behavior will continue. It may further spread to the north and the east. The fire could be contained by the end of August.
