California blazing under 45C Summer sun
A firefighting plane sprays a hill with retardent foam.
Nearly 4,000 firemen battled wildfires raging through huge areas of California yesterday as the state sweltered under record temperatures expected to continue until the autumn. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor, declared a state of emergency in the scorched area 100 miles east of Los Angeles, where blazes have destroyed scores of homes and claimed at least one life.
Forecasters meanwhile warned of no let-up in unseasonable heat that has sent thermometers soaring to record highs of 122F (50C) in inland areas. According to meteorologists, the state has effectively "skipped spring", jumping straight to the blistering highs normally confined to late summer. The past few months have been unusually warm, with central Los Angeles experiencing its second hottest June and July to date - almost six degrees above average. The situation is reflected nationwide, with the first half of the year declared the warmest since record-keeping began. From January to June, the continental states experienced temperatures 3.4 degrees F above average for the 20th century and, by last month, almost half were in a state of moderate to extreme drought.
The dry conditions have so far sparked more than 50,000 wildfires, burning more than three million acres in the continental US, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre. In California's San Bernardino National Forest, fire crews have endured temperatures of 112 F (44.4 C) as they struggle to contain a huge complex of fires ignited a week ago by lightning striking arid brush. Two clusters of blazes merged to blacken a vast area around the Yucca Valley, destroying more than 50 desert homes. The fires had burned into the San Bernardino National Forest but were not considered immediate threats to communities at higher elevations in the Big Bear Lake region. "It is a huge fire. It is extraordinary how quickly it has spread," said Mr Schwarzenegger during a visit to the area. "It is a very dangerous situation. Wind and a lot of heat, that is the perfect condition for wildfires."
On Saturday, the body of a 57-year-old man was found in a blackened part of the desert. Gerald Guthrie had been missing since Tuesday, when fire swept through his home of Pioneertown, the location of many Hollywood westerns.
As the heat and humidity persisted, Californian officials issued severe fire warnings and, with the extreme heat, advised people to keep out of the sun. Energy consumption hit record highs as temperatures in parts of Los Angeles rivalled those of the deep desert and air conditioners worked overtime.
The conditions are blamed on hot air from northern Mexican deserts combining with moisture from the Gulf of California to break what is known as southern California's natural air conditioner, a blend of sea breezes and cloud cover that keep temperatures cool throughout late spring and early summer. The last time southern California saw such a sustained heat trend was in the 1960s.
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