This summer, as a heatwave continues in the western United States, a wildfire has broken out in the Mojave Desert in southern California, burning an area more than half the size of Seoul and continuing to spread.
According to local fire authorities on the 2nd (local time), the wildfire that started on the 28th of last month in the New York Mountains within Mojave National Park has burned an area of 331㎢ so far. This is more than half the total area of Seoul (605.24k㎡).
Called the "York Fire," this wildfire is the largest wildfire to occur in California this year and has spread beyond the state border into neighboring Nevada.
There have been no reported casualties, but evacuation orders have been issued in some areas.
The U.S. fire authorities have deployed hundreds of firefighters to extinguish the wildfire, but unpredictable winds are making suppression efforts difficult. However, in the New York Mountains, thanks to rain that fell in some areas the previous day, they have succeeded in extinguishing 30% of the wildfire.
The Mojave National Preserve explained that this wildfire is forming fire columns called "fire tornadoes" due to the combination of intense heat and strong winds. In fact, fire columns about 6 meters high have been observed in some parts of the U.S. In particular, as the wildfire spreads across the Mojave Desert, it is threatening the Joshua trees, a symbol of this desert.
Currently, hot and dry conditions persist across the U.S., with 56 large wildfires occurring in 11 states, burning over 4,000㎢.
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