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U.S. Forest Service firefighters Chris Voelker, left, and Kyle Jacobson monitor the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, burning in Plumas National Forest, Calif., on Friday, July 9, 2021. The Beckwourth Complex â a merging of two lightning-caused fires â headed into Saturday showing no sign of slowing its rush northeast from the Sierra Nevada forest region after doubling in size only a few days earlier. Noah Berger
The Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, burns in Plumas National Forest, Calif., on Friday, July 9, 2021. Noah Berger
Smoke envelops trees as the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, burns in Doyle, Calif., Friday, July 9, 2021.
Brutal heat wave persists in U.S. West as Oregon wildfire rages
Reuters | Jul 12, 2021 03:49 PM EDT
A sign warns of extreme heat in Death Valley, California, U.S., (Photo : REUTERS/Bridget Bennett/File Photo)
A punishing heat wave was again forecast to bring near-record high temperatures to many parts of the U.S. West on Monday, as a wildfire raged out of control in drought-stricken Oregon.
The forecast comes a day after Death Valley, California, hit a scorching 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 Celsius), one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on Earth.
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But the National Weather Service said the intense heat had likely peaked across much of the region, ahead of more seasonable temperatures later this week.
State s Grid Operator Asks Electric Customers To Conserve Power oakdaleleader.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from oakdaleleader.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Brutal heat wave persists in U.S. West as Oregon wildfire rages by Reuters
Monday, 12 July 2021 20:53 GMT
FILE PHOTO: A sign warns of extreme heat in Death Valley, California, U.S., July 11, 2021. REUTERS/Bridget Bennett/File Photo
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(Adds National Weather Service forecast and updates fire acreage, containment)
By Sergio Olmos
PORTLAND, Ore. July 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. West endured a fourth day of scorching heat on Monday as temperatures again threatened to shatter records, major wildfires burned nearly unchecked in drought-stricken Oregon and power grids strained under the pressure.
How an Oregon wildfire almost derailed California s power grid Sammy Roth
The first sign of trouble came at 4:22 p.m. Thursday.
Warning of extreme temperatures across much of California, officials urged the state s tens of millions of residents to use less electricity the next evening, to make sure power demand didn t outstrip supply and cause the lights to go out.
It was the third Flex Alert of a young summer that s felt more like August or September as heat waves shatter records and wildfires devour the landscape, symptoms of a climate in chaos. And unlike the first two calls for energy conservation, this one would nearly bring the Golden State s electric grid to its knees all because of a wildfire in southern Oregon.