The number of wildfires across the western U.S. had increased to more than 70 on Thursday, the U.S.
Forest Service said, as thousands of firefighters battled to get
blazes under control.
Dry conditions have been exacerbated by a severe drought across
much of the country.
In California alone, some 8,000 firefighters were working against
13 fires and the military had been called into help, with marines
using helicopters against a blaze near San Diego, CNN reported.
Also hard hit were the north-western coastal states of Washington
and Oregon - along with interior states including Nevada, Utah and
Idaho - according to a daily fire mapping report by the US Department
of Agriculture's forest service. CNN reported that 900 people had
been evacuated in the region.
More than two-thirds of the lower 48 states are suffering drought.
Temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and higher make firefighting more
difficult, and normally cool Oregon and Washington state were facing
more high temperatures Thursday.
