Wildland fires charring a huge chunk of Western U.S.

To date, 5.5 million acres across the Western United States have gone up in flames. This would be like having the entire state of New Jersey be charred.

Most of the acres burned —4.7 million acres, or 85 percent of the total — have been in Alaska, where 300 fires are currently burning.

The ongoing drought, coupled with summer heat, has exacerbated the fire season in the West.

Major wildfires in the region include:

• The Reynolds Creek Fire in Montana’s Glacier National Park grew from a 2-acre burn to a 2,000 acres in a matter of hours. The blaze, which has burned more than 3,100 acres and cost $4.3 million so far, is one of the top priority fires in the nation.
• Calfire has proclaimed the Lowell Fire the most dangerous of the nine California fires that crews are battling. The wildfire has injured four firefighters, consumed more than 2,200 acres, and is still threatening 1,800 homes.
• Crews are rapidly gaining ground on the Blue Creek Fire in Washington, which has scoured more than 6,000 acres and cost $6.25 million.