Juba, South Sudan,
July 11, 2021 – At least two firefighters have reportedly died after when their aircraft crashed while responding to a wildfire in Las Vegas as temperature rises to 47.2C as of Saturday.
According to reports seen by Nyamilepedia, firefighters battling many wildfires in the region say the air is so dry that much of the water dropped by aircraft to quell the flames evaporates before it reaches the ground.
In its condolence message, Arizona’s Bureau of Land Management praised the unnamed firefighters as brave individuals who perished in a plane crash while performing aerial reconnaissance, command, and control over the lightning-caused Cedar Basin Fire.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepdia, it says: “Our hearts are heavy tonight with sincere condolences to families, loved ones, and firefighters affected by this tragic aviation accident”.
The BBC says the accident occurred at around noon local time (19:00 GMT) on Saturday near the small community of Wikieup and evacuation was in progress as the fires rage on.
“In the north of Nevada, near the border with California, people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires triggered by lightning strikes tore through parts of the Sierra Nevada forest region,” it reports.
Los Angeles Times reports that one fire, which more than doubled in size between Friday and Saturday, sent up a giant cloud of smoke and ash which, combined with the dry heat, generated its own lightning.
The fire, the media outlets say, was threatening power cables that send electricity to California with power grid operators in California urging customers to conserve electricity by reducing their use of appliances and to keep thermostats higher during the evening when solar energy is diminished or no longer available.
The United States is seemingly paying the price of climate, whose impact was ignored by former president Donald Trump.
