Wildfire Levels Historic California Town As Residents Flee Blaze
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published August 05, 2021 | 09:43 PM
The largest wildfire in California has razed a small town in the state's parched northeast, warping street lights and destroying historic buildings hours after residents were ordered to flee
Greenville, United States, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Aug, 2021 ) :The largest wildfire in California has razed a small town in the state's parched northeast, warping street lights and destroying historic buildings hours after residents were ordered to flee.
Greenville, an Indian Valley settlement of a few hundred people dating back to the mid-1800s Gold Rush, was engulfed by flames as winds whipped the inferno towards the community, turning the sky orange.
"I'd say the majority of downtown Greenville is completely destroyed," tweeted wildfire photographer Stuart Palley, sharing images of the devastation.
"My heart is broken for this beautiful little town." The Dixie Fire has been raging in the forests of northern California since mid-July, part of a climate crisis that has brought sweltering heat and an alarming drought.
Authorities had earlier issued evacuation alerts to residents, as high winds fanned the fire which, at 500 square miles (1,300 sq km), has grown to more than seven times the size of the US capital, Washington.
The blaze is so big that it has been generating its own weather system.
"We did everything we could," California Fire spokesman Mitch Matlow told reporters. "Sometimes it's just not enough." Images taken by an AFP photographer showed the fire's heat had bent street lights to the ground, with only a few structures still standing.
A gas station, a hotel and a bar were destroyed, as well as many buildings that were more than a century old.
The fire entered the town at roughly 4:00 pm Wednesday (2300 GMT) according to Jake Cagle, incident management team operations section chief.
He said firefighters were struggling with those not obeying evacuation orders, leading to them having to divert time and resources to rescue people in the path of the flames.
"It's just intense fire behavior, and it's not what we're used to," he said.
"Firefighters are fighting for the town of Greenville," US Forest Service spokeswoman Pandora Valle told the San Francisco Chronicle late Wednesday, but was unable to give further details.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
Heavy rains cause damage to Spezand-Taftan railway track
Woman stabbed in Israel, attacker killed: police
More Stories From World
-
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - collated
4 minutes ago -
PGA Zurich Classic of New Orleans scores
4 minutes ago -
Sudanese filmmakers shine light on war's 'silent problems'
5 minutes ago -
NFL will allow players to wear Guardian Cap helmets in games
7 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga table
7 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A result
7 hours ago
-
Football: German Bundesliga results
7 hours ago -
US troops to leave Chad in second African state withdrawal
7 hours ago -
Plastics pollution may be solved without production cap: Canada minister
7 hours ago -
Biden stalls on menthol cigarette ban fearing Black vote backlash
7 hours ago -
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
7 hours ago -
6,000 French police to welcome Olympic torch amid bonus boost
7 hours ago