Multiple wildfires raged across the US on Saturday, causing deaths, destruction and thousands of forced evacuations.
A wildfire near Yosemite National Park in California continued to grow Saturday, destroying at least 10 buildings and requiring at least 6,000 people to be evacuated. In Idaho, two fire fighting helicopter pilots were killed after a fire crashed in a rural area near the Montana border.
Thomas Hayes, 41, of Post Falls, Idaho, and Jared Bird, 36, of Anchorage, Alaska, were identified as the pilots. Their helicopter crashed into the Salmon River around 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Mary Cernicek, spokesman for the Salmon-Challis National Forest, told USA TODAY.
Both pilots were transported to a nearby hospital, where they died of their injuries, according to an incident report from the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office.
Meanwhile, forest fires were burning all over Europe. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in France as firefighters battled wildfires that tore more than 78 square miles in Bordeaux’s wine region, authorities said. The fire comes as huge parts of Europe have been charred by wildfires this week during an extreme heat wave.
HEAT WAVE FORECAST:Dangerous heat continues all weekend in the US
Pilots Die While Fighting Moose Fire
The two pilots who died in the crash were contracted to help fight the Moose Fire, Cernicek said.
More than 700 firefighters were fighting the blaze that burned Saturday about 21 miles north of Salmon, Idaho, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
A red flag warning was issued Saturday as high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds threatened to exacerbate the fire, which had expanded to more than 45 square miles as of Saturday night.
HEAT WAVE IN EUROPE:UK ‘National Emergency’ as historic agency workers forecasts and bushfires rage
Nine helicopters supported ground personnel with water droplets on Friday, according to an incident report from the center.
Cernicek said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
Idaho Governor Brad Little has ordered that all US and Idaho flags be flown at half-mast Friday in honor of the two pilots killed in the helicopter crash.
NEW MEXICO CRASH:Four dead after New Mexico sheriff’s helicopter crashed while helping fight wildfires
Yosemite wildfire causes evacuations, damage to structures
A wildfire that broke out Friday is rapidly spreading and growing into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year. The Oak Fire, which started southwest of Yosemite, led to evacuations and damaged at least 10 buildings, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
It broke out as firefighters made progress against a previous blaze that burned to the edge of a forest of giant redwoods in the southernmost part of Yosemite Park. The Oak Fire burned nearly 15 square miles and was 0% contained by Saturday night, Cal Fire said.
Evacuation orders went into effect Saturday for more than 6,000 people living several miles away in the sparsely populated rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest. Lushmeadows, a subdivision of about 1,700 residents in the Sierra Nevada foothills, was among those under mandatory evacuation orders.
Firefighters make progress on previous Yosemite fire
The Oak Fire raged as firefighters made significant headway against the Washburn Fire, which burned from Yosemite National Park into the Sierra National Forest, threatening Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant redwoods.
The Washburn Fire was 79% under control Saturday afternoon after it burned nearly 7.6 square miles. After the start of July 7, the fire forced the southern entrance to Yosemite to be closed and led to the evacuation of hundreds of people in the Wawona community.
GIANT SEQUOIAS THREATENED:Thick wildfire smoke hangs over Yosemite; flames reached the remarkable giant sequoia forest
The US Forest Service also announced plans Friday to take emergency measures to save giant redwoods threatened by increasingly severe wildfires exacerbated by climate change and aggressive firefighting methods. The plan will accelerate projects to cut down dense undergrowth that has fueled raging fires near the world’s largest trees.
Contributions: The Associated Press
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando now at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
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