The authorities said, on Saturday, that the multiple fires that have engulfed large areas of the western United States and Canada for days have reduced the resources of firefighters.

More than 2,100 firefighters are battling to contain the widespread Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon near the California border. But some were forced to retreat as the flames spread amid a new wave of heat.

California, stricken by its own fires, has promised to send firefighters to help in Oregon.

Canadian authorities announced that they are hosting about 100 firefighters from Mexico to support their exhausted colleagues in Ontario.

The Bootleg Fire, by far the largest active fire in the United States, affects an area of ​​more than 1,000 square kilometers — larger than New York City — and is only 7% controlled, according to the Inciweb website.

“The fires are still very active and their size is increasing due to heat, drought and wind conditions,” the official website says.

At least 20 homes were destroyed.

Fire chief Rob Allen said the 200-mile circumference of the fire “is a huge line to identify and catch.”

“We continue to use every resource from excavators to tankers,” he said on Friday.

Meanwhile, dangerous thunderstorms are expected in California, where last year’s August compound fire – the largest in that state’s recent history – was sparked precisely by a series of lightning.

And in Canada, officials expected temperatures to rise in the coming days from Alberta to Ontario — albeit not as hot as 49.6 degrees Celsius near Vancouver three weeks ago.

bbk / st / lda / yow