Wildfire burns near site of deadliest US blaze

A wildfire near the Northern California town of Paradise, which largely was destroyed in a 2018 wildfire that killed 85 people, worried homeowners who were just starting to return to normal after surviving the deadliest blaze in US history.

The Dixie Fire has chewed through more than 12 square miles (31 square kilometers) in the Feather River Canyon area northeast of Paradise.

Officials ordered the evacuation of a wilderness recreation area and kept in place a warning for residents of the tiny communities of Pulga and east Concow to be ready to leave.

The tiny resort town of Belden on the North Fork Feather River was empty after authorities warned residents and tourists to be prepared to evacuate.

Mike Garappo sat next to his motorcycles and camper, ready to go if necessary.

"We're prepared," he said.

"We've dealt with fires living in the mountains forever. We know there's a chance it may not hit here, but we're ready to go in case."

The fire is part of a siege of infernos across the West.

There were 70 active large fires and complexes of multiple fires that have burned nearly 1,659 square miles (4,297 square kilometers) in the US, the National Interagency Fire Center said.

Extremely dry conditions and heat waves tied to climate change have swept the region, making wildfires harder to fight.

Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

Benjamin Bell and his wife Jessica drove from their home Quincy to Belden, about 30 miles away, to assess the proximity of the fire.

"We're having a lot of fires every year and they're really, really bad," Bell said.

(Source: AP)

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