California tackles multiple wildfires as firefighter workforce faces strain

Firefighters in the western United States and Canada are working to contain multiple wildfires, including one that erupted along California’s rugged Big Sur coastline.

The state’s wildland firefighting agency Cal Fire said in an update on Saturday that the Big Sur blaze, nicknamed the Timber Fire, is currently burning across 4,655 acres (1,884 hectares). Only 12 percent of the fire is contained so far.

Officials have indicated that hot, dry weather across the western part of North America has helped to fuel the blazes, displacing thousands of residents.

With the Timber Fire, Cal Fire noted the wind also presents a factor in the outdoor conditions.

“Any morning clouds along ridges and east of the fire should erode quickly with winds increasing in the afternoon,” Saturday’s update reads. “A warming and drying trend is predicted through the weekend and into next week.”

State parks in the area have been closed, and authorities have issued evacuation orders for portions of Highway 1, a famous road that traces the California coast, attracting visitors from around the world.

The Big Sur section of Highway 1 offers some of the state’s most stunning views, with sheer drops into the sea and a 24-metre (79-foot) waterfall tumbling from a cliff to the beach below.

Across the state, on the border between California and Nevada, firefighters are also working to contain the fast-moving Bug Fire near the city of Reno. So far, it has consumed about 93,381 acres (37,790 hectares) and is 58 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.