By IndyKids Staff
Having already scorched over 350,000 acres—an area larger than Los Angeles—the Oregon wildfire has now become the largest burning in the United States this year. Named after the nearby Bootleg Spring, the fire began on July 6 and has now forced over 2,000 people from their homes.
The Bootleg Fire is just one of 80 major fires currently spreading across 13 U.S. states, ignited by heatwaves and high winds which hit the west coast over the last few weeks. Climate change, which causes increasing temperatures and changes to rain patterns, fuels the likelihood of fires which start more often and burn more rapidly than they have in the past, according to National Geographic. More than 160 homes and buildings have been destroyed by the blaze so far.
it sounds like the fires are a really big deal for people because there homes are being destroyed.