America reels from more than 50 wildfires

There are currently more than 19,000 firefighters battling these fires.

On August 21, a serious forest fire broke out near Yosemite National Park in the US, threatening about 2,500 structures in the area. The fire is still out of control.

The fire broke out in the Stanislaus National Forest, west of Yosemite, and quickly spread to more than 25 square miles, threatening to destroy homes, hotels and nearby campgrounds.

US firefighters battle a forest fire (Photo: AP)

The massive fire has forced about 2,800 people to temporarily evacuate to shelters set up by authorities. Local authorities also said the fire has completely destroyed two residential areas.

The fire also temporarily closed the west entrance to Yosemite on Highway 120. Park officials said the park will remain open to visitors through the gates on Highway 140 and Highway 4.

On August 21, the Tuolumne County Executive Board held an emergency meeting to pass a resolution asking Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency and authorize special spending and manpower for firefighting operations.

The Tuolumne County Council resolution said the fire was “immediately threatening the local community and businesses” and was beyond the control of local fire crews, the Modesto Bee reported.

Controlling the fire in Yosemite is now a top priority, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

It’s wildfire season in the United States, with more than 50 fires burning in California, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. More than 19,000 firefighters are currently battling the fires.

According to statistics, since the beginning of the year until now, there have been more than 32,000 fires burning more than 13,674 square kilometers of forest in the US, nearly the size of the state of Connecticut.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, federal agencies have spent more than $1 billion on firefighting so far, but that is not the final figure. The amount will depend on the end of the fire season, when fires tend to flare up quickly in Southern California in late October, as usual./.

According to VOV - DT