Firefighters in Oregon are tackling one of the worst wildfires in the states history, which has spread across more than 340,000 acres of land. The so called Bootleg Fire has caused mass evacuations across the county, with officials now warning that others need to prepare to evacuate the area.

The U.S is currently experiencing a high number of large wildfires, especially in the west of the country. 20,000 firefighters have been deployed across the U.S to tackle the wildfires. Officials have now raised concerns that the Bootleg Fire, which has been burning since the 6th of July, will only been contained of there is a major weather event in the area.

Firefighters struggling to contain the blaze

Responders on the scene of the disaster have been unable to consistently tackle the blaze as they have often had to seek shelter from the flames and from the increasing heat in the area which is creating conditions that are not ideal for firefighters.

#BootlegFire continues to grow this evening in southern Oregon. Likely over 300,000 acres now. So large it's broken into separate sections…about 35 miles apart! @fox12oregon pic.twitter.com/4O8GHZj8aE

— Mark Nelsen (@MarkNelsenKPTV) July 19, 2021

A level 2 emergency alert system is now in place which states that people should “be ready to leave at a moment’s notice as this level indicates there is a significant danger to your area, and residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area. Residents may have time to gather necessary items, but doing so is at their own risk.”

FEMA authorise funds to tackle Bootleg Fire

Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that it is going to help with the costs of fighting the Bootleg Fire in Oregon following a request from the state. A press release on the FEMA website read: “At the time of the State’s request, the fire was threatening homes in and around the communities of Sprague River, Bly, and Beatty. The fire also threatened roads, bridges, utilities, infrastructure, recreation and businesses in the area. Oregon continues to experience extreme heat conditions and has burn bans and red flag warnings in place.

“FMAGs are provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund and are made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials, and supplies. The authorisation makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the State’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating, and controlling designated fires. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

“With this FMAG authorization, an additional $584,083 will be available to Oregon through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post Fire for the mitigation of wildfire and related hazards, such as flood after fire or erosion. Eligible wildfire project types include defensible space measures, ignition-resistant construction, and hazardous fuels reduction. The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 authorizes FEMA to provide HMGP Post-Fire funds to eligible states and territories that receive Fire Management Assistance declarations and federally recognized tribes that have land burned within a designated area.”