Three firefighters are dead and tens of thousands of people have been evacuated as wildfires tore across the western United States and Canada over the weekend, according to NPR.
Two pilots died Friday after their helicopter crashed while battling the Widemouth 2 Fire in Fishlake National Forest in Utah. The U.S. Forest Service confirmed their deaths on Sunday. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox mourned them in a social media post: "They put themselves in harm's way to protect our state and gave their lives in that service."
In Oregon, a bulldozer operator identified by officials as Jason Ensign died battling the Wrights Spring Fire, which has spread over 33,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday afternoon.
The National Interagency Fire Center reported 183 new fires across the U.S. since Saturday, including eight large ones. More than 30,000 personnel with over 640 crews were assigned to the fires. Firefighters were battling more than 94 large fires across the country.
In Utah, close to a dozen active wildfires have scorched more than 300,000 acres. The Rocky Canyon Fire, about 30 miles northeast of Salt Lake City, grew to more than 2,800 acres since it began Friday and was 0% contained as of Sunday, prompting evacuations in Morgan County. The Widemouth 2 Fire, where the two pilots died, has burned more than 118,000 acres and was 27% contained Sunday morning, making it the largest fire in the state this year. The Babylon Fire has burned over 107,000 acres.
In Washington state, at least 60,000 people were evacuated in the Spokane area as firefighters worked to contain several fires that scorched over 10,000 acres. Local fire officials said Sunday that crews made progress and were working to ensure there are no remaining heat sources posing threats.
The U.S. Forest Service Fishlake National Forest pointed to weather as a key driver: "An abnormally dry and warm winter has led to an extremely difficult fire season." Large fires were also burning in Idaho, Montana and Colorado.
Across the border in Canada, British Columbia declared a state of emergency. More than 100 active wildfires were burning in the province, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service. More than 20,000 people were evacuated due to the Bald Range wildfire. The wildfire service warned Sunday that high temperatures and wind gusts were expected to persist and that new ignitions in hot and dry weather "can establish and spread quickly."
