In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, the Bootleg Fire burns at night near Highway 34 in southern Oregon on Thursday, July 15, 2021. (Jason Pettigrew/Bootleg Fire Incident Command via AP)
As firefighters continue to battle Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, residents who were forced to evacuate are returning to find their homes have been ruined. According to local news outlets, approximately 112 homes and 169 outbuildings have been destroyed.
The Bootleg Fire in Oregon has torched more than 400,000 acres so far, making it Oregon’s third largest wildfire on records dating back to 1900. According to fire officials, the blaze is around 46 percent contained as more than 2,000 personnel are working on the frontlines.
An estimated 2,000 residents were displaced by evacuations when the fire reached its peak.
“We just got to try to band together as a community and rebuild and get people’s lives back in order,” stated Sycan Estates evacuee Gage Clark. “It’ll never be back to what it was, of course, but we got to try to do what we can because we all still own our property and a lot of people don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Oregon's Bootleg fire, first reported on July 6 and the largest of dozens of wildfires in the United States, was ignited by lightning but smoldered for days before it was detected, officials said https://t.co/vv8KK9icvj pic.twitter.com/eQ5C7drSDB
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 22, 2021
Oregon’s Bootleg Fire is just one of several burning across the Western United States. Local authorities are urging residents to pay attention to evacuation orders.
Source: One America News Network
