Jul 22, 2021 - Energy & Environment

Massive California wildfire crosses into Nevada

Emergency personnel working around the clock to contain the Tamarack Fire and save the town of Markleeville July 16

Emergency personnel working around the clock to contain the Tamarack Fire near the town of Markleeville on July 17. Photo: Ty O'Neil/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A massive, uncontained wildfire has crossed the border from Northern California into Nevada — triggering fresh evacuations, this time in the Silver State, AP reported early Thursday.

The big picture: The Tamarack Fire, south of Lake Tahoe, has razed over 68 square miles since erupting on July 4 — one of 23 blazes ignited by lightning strikes, according to the U.S. Forest Service. It's one of 78 large fires raging across 13 U.S. states.

Of note: Oregon's Bootleg Fire, the largest blaze in the U.S. and which officials say was also sparked by lightning, swelled to 618 square miles in the Fremont-Winema National Forest.

Yes, but: Cooler conditions with less gusty winds were assisting Oregon firefighting efforts on Wednesday and the blaze was 38% contained, per the U.S. Forest Service.

  • "The fire also was approaching an area burned by a previous fire on its active southeastern flank, raising hopes that lack of fuel could reduce its spread," AP noted.

Context: The wildfires, many of which started when a severe heat wave erupted in June, have been linked by scientists to human-caused climate change.

Go deeper: Western wildfire smoke chokes Upper Midwest, East Coast

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