Wildfires continue to burn out of control in the West, where firefighters are working to contain nearly 100 large fires.
Hundreds of thousands of acres have been scorched in Utah, where two pilots were killed fighting a 174-square-mile wildfire that’s still burning.
Their helicopter, flying in an area of steep terrain, crashed, igniting another fire.
Burk Minor with the Wildland Firefighter Foundation said, “Unfortunately, the fire does not stop to let our boots on the ground mourn their fallen comrades. So it’s very heavy out there.”
In southern Oregon, residents have been forced to evacuate as the “Wrights Spring” fire continues to grow in size. A bulldozer operator died while helping firefighters. The flames cut off his escape route.
Along the California-Nevada border, the “Bug” fire is threatening homes near Reno.
The Western fires are fueled by extremely hot and dry conditions, and are straining firefighting resources.
Officials have been forced to redeploy crews and equipment to only the most dangerous areas.
North of the border, Canada is battling its own fire crisis. More than 20,000 people have been ordered to flee their communities in British Columbia, which is now under a state of emergency.
Several major cities from the West to the East will see high temperatures today, from the 90s to 100 degrees.
The smoke from the Western fires will affect air quality across parts of the country.
Meanwhile, severe storms over the weekend swept across the Northeast from New England to Maryland, leaving thousands without power in Massachusetts.
In Springfield, Massachusetts, part of an apartment building collapsed during the storm. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but dozens of people were left homeless.
It came after the Northeast was soaked from days of downpours.
In Pennsylvania, intense rainfall on Friday left behind widespread flooding. Stormwater even formed lakes in parts of Westmoreland County.
