New wildfires grow in Utah
Two new wildfires in Utah that ignited over the weekend have burned nearly 4,500 acres, according to posts on Twitter from Utah Fire Info.
The Range Fire is burning just outside of the city or Orem, in Utah County, about 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. As of Sunday night it had grown to 3,000 acres and no containment had been reported.
About a hundred miles northeast of the Range Fire, the Fire Canyon Fire started Saturday and has burned at least 1,460 acres and has been 10% contained.
Suppression operations continued throughout the day, with the use of aircraft and firefighters on the ground, Utah Fire said.
The Fire Canyon Fire was first spotted burning near a ridge between Fire Canyon and Bald Canyon the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said in a press release where the agency announced the temporary emergency closure of the Henefer-Echo Wildlife Management Area because of the fire.
The blaze is not currently threatening any structures and the cause of the fire is still being investigated but it is believed to be human-caused according to Utah Fire Info.
Dry conditions and above normal temperatures are forecast in Utah through Wednesday, when a front will approach bringing cooler and wetter weather to the region, according to CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy.
The higher humidity accompanying the front will help in fire containment efforts, Guy said
More than 4 million acres burned in California
In California, firefighters have been battling a historic number of fires since early August when the fire season picked up.
Thirty-one people have died and more than 9,200 structures have been destroyed this season, with more than 4.1 million acres burned this year.
Firefighters responded to and quickly contained 23 new wildfires Saturday while continuing to battle 20 existing fires throughout the state, an update from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) said.
Twelve of the 20 wildfires in California are considered "major incidents," CalFire said.
The Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma Counties is currently 97% contained with 67,484 acres burned, CalFire said. While the August Complex fire is 86% contained with more than a million acres burned, according to the update.
"Although the Red Flag Warnings have expired, dry weather and unseasonably warm temperatures continue through much of next week" and no rain is forecast, said CalFire.
There are currently 7,700 firefighters on the frontlines, according to CalFire