A record heat wave in the Pacific Northwest has prompted fire managers to bump the national preparedness level up a notch, from three to four on a five point scale. More than two dozen large fires are now burning in the region, many sparked by dry thunderstorms.
At the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, federal fire managers monitor giant screens in a NASA like control room, as they deploy air tankers, hot shot crews and other resources around the West right now.
Meagan Conry, the federal Bureau of Land Management's assistant deputy director for fire and aviation, tracks fires on live cameras in the Northwest. She says the area has become vulnerable to increased fire activity because of, "above average temperatures, dry conditions, and some expectations for gusty winds over the next few days."
Towering flash floods and an imminent dam failure in the northern part of Oahu triggered evacuation...
Rain continued falling in Hawaii on Sunday where a strong storm brought flash flooding, blizzard conditions...
States across the US south-west recorded blistering temperatures at the tail end of winter, including some...
