Many told to evacuate amid rapid wildfire spread in Claifornia

• Mill Fire has spread to more than 1,000 acres in northern California.
• Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for towns like Weed, Lake Shastina, and Edgewood.
• The fire broke out as the American West sweltered in another day of oppressive heat.

On Friday, thousands of residents were told to leave their homes in northern California because a wildfire was swiftly spreading across more than 1,000 acres in the sweltering heat.

The so-called Mill Fire, which the Siskiyou county fire department said was spreading at a hazardous rate, was seen on camera from a local ABC affiliate news station as multiple buildings caught fire.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for towns like Weed, Lake Shastina, and Edgewood. Students from a nearby high school were bused to safety. A shelter for large animals and cattle was also established.

“Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access,” the evacuation order stated.

The fire broke out as California, as well as some of Nevada and Arizona, sweltered in another day of oppressive heat.

Temperatures have soared, with several areas experiencing temperatures beyond 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) due to a tenacious bubble of high pressure lingering over the area.

The National Weather Service stated in its daily advisory, “September is off to a searing start in the West with record breaking temperatures and fire weather expected to expand and settle over that part of the country this Labor Day weekend.”

Siskiyou is located in a heavily affected area in northern California that is primarily forested and has a low population density.

The Boles fire in 2014 decimated more than 150 buildings in the town of Weed, which has a population of close to 3,000.

According to scientists, natural weather changes are becoming increasingly intense due to global warming, which is mostly caused by the unrestrained combustion of fossil fuels.

The American West has also been baked and tinder dry for more than 20 years due to a chronic drought, making it susceptible to hotter, quicker, and more catastrophic wildfires.

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