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Jesse Alexander, the chief for the Yuba City Fire Department in California, and his crew have been on the front lines of some of the most destructive California wildfires in history, including the Camp Fire in 2018, which killed 85 people and devastated the town of Paradise. And he says now the fire is really hitting close to home.
“During the Camp Fire, I looked across at guys who live in Paradise, not knowing if their house is there,” said Alexander. “It’s completely different when you are fighting a fire in your own community. We are used to seeing destruction, but when it’s in your own backyard, it makes such a significant impact.”
Last week, Alexander’s department was split between fighting the Dixie Fire and the Tamarack Fire.
Alexander said he sees that climate change is having an impact on the way wildfires behave, and he’s concerned about the safety of his crew.
“Conditions are definitely changing. You are seeing these erratic fire events happen more frequently,” he said.
Seen from space
There were few clouds in the Northeast on Tuesday morning, but the smoke — carried on a 3,000-mile trip across the country — created a hazy start to the day.
The drought gets worse
More than two-thirds of the West in extreme or exceptional drought — the two worst categories. This area has expanded by 60,000 square miles, or about the size of the state of Georgia, during the month of July.
In particular, conditions deteriorated in the Pacific Northwest where there was significant expansion of the worst drought categories. Washington state had previously been spared the worst category of drought until last week when it exploded to cover more than a quarter of the state. The drought is the worst on record for Oregon, with 17% in the most severe category, an area that has nearly quadrupled in the month of July.
Six states are still entirely in drought conditions: Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Utah and North Dakota.
409,611
China floods kill dozens
Residents of the city of Zhengzhou saw 18 inches (457 mm) of rain fall in just 24 hours. According to the Zhengzhou Meteorological Department, the city recorded over 24 inches (617 mm) of rain in the course of three days, which is just under a year’s worth of rainfall — 25.2 inches (640.8 mm).
CNN’s Hannah Gard, Haley Brink and Monica Garrett contributed to this story.