UNDATED (AP) – Firefighters are working in extreme temperatures across the U.S. West and struggling to contain wildfires, the largest burning in California and Oregon, as another heat wave baked the region, straining power grids. The largest wildfire of the year in California is raging along the Nevada state line and has burned over 89,750 acres. The Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex in Plumas County, is raging. It grew by 22,000 acres on Saturday alone. The fire is 23% contained.
In Oregon, the Bootleg Fire exploded to 224 square miles as it raced through heavy timber in the Fremont-Winema National Forest. A wildfire in southeast Washington grew to almost 60 square miles while in Idaho, Gov. Brad Little has mobilized the National Guard to help fight fires sparked after lightning storms swept across the drought-stricken region.