The Madre Fire remains out of control and is not even 1% contained.
California is facing its largest wildfire since the start of the year. The Madre Fire, which broke out on Wednesday, July 2 in San Luis Obispo County, a rural region in the central part of the state, is astonishing in the speed of its spread: in just 24 hours, the flames engulfed almost 213 square kilometers.
Le Monde reports this.
Speed of spread and threat to the population
About 200 people have already been ordered to evacuate, and dozens of structures are at risk of being destroyed by the fire. Images from the state's fire warning system show thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the hilly terrain. More than 300 firefighters are trying to control the blaze, but so far their efforts have had little success.
California is set for a particularly dangerous summer this year, experts say. The massive blaze follows several others that have broken out in recent days, forcing evacuations east of Los Angeles, and the state is still reeling from the January fires that engulfed the metropolis and killed 30 people.
According to local media, there are currently no reports of casualties or significant damage to buildings directly from the Madre Fire, but the fire remains out of control and constantly threatens to spread to new areas.
In particular, as of July 4, the fire could not be localized even by 1%, and forecasters predict that dry and hot weather will reign in the region in the near future.
Budget cuts and political wrangling
The publication notes that the winter and spring in southern California have been unusually dry, and vegetation is already as dry as in the height of summer, which significantly increases the risk of fires. This increased risk comes at a time when Donald Trump has imposed significant budget cuts and layoffs at federal agencies responsible for combating climate disasters, in particular the Forestry Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
After the California fires began, California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is likely to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, accused Trump of not funding enough brush clearing and controlled burns to prevent fires.
“We need equivalent commitment to resources, not just good talk,” the governor stressed.
Gavin Newsom also reminded that 57% of the state's lands are under the jurisdiction of the federal government, which must take care of their security.
Let us recall that due to abnormal heat and lack of precipitation, forest fires have been raging in Turkey for a week now. The fire is spreading to residential areas, and authorities are evacuating the population. In Izmir Province, the fire has already claimed the life of an elderly man.
