LAS VEGAS: Officials in Las Vegas are blaming poor air quality and a smoky haze in southern Nevada on wildfires in coastal and mountain areas of California.
A Clark County Department of Air Quality advisory issued on Wednesday cites smoke and ozone from fires burning hundreds of miles to the northwest. The advisory remains in effect through Thursday.
Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling pointed to fires north of Big Sur, in the Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara and in Sequoia National Forest northwest of Lake Isabella.
A wildfire that has destroyed 45 homes on California's central coast continues to grow and more residents are being warned to get ready to evacuate.
Cal Fire said on Wednesday that the 10-day-old blaze has charred nearly 64 square miles of dry brush and timber. The fire is 39 per cent surrounded after being stuck at 35pc for several days.
At least 2,400 people are under evacuation orders in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. Additional evacuation warnings were issued on Wednesday.
Cal Fire's Rich Eagan says flames are more than two miles from Hearst Castle, which remains closed but is no longer threatened.
A fire burning for a month north of Big Sur grew again to 135 square miles. Hundreds of homes remain threatened by the fire in rugged wilderness coast along Highway 1. It is 60pc contained.
A highway leading into Yellowstone National Park remains closed because of a wildfire burning in neighbouring Grand Teton National Park in northwest Wyoming.
Fire spokeswoman Karen Miranda says prospects aren't good for opening the road anytime soon because the fire is burning along the highway, which leads to the South Entrance of Yellowstone.
Travelers coming from the south can still access Yellowstone through Idaho and the park's West Entrance.
The fire has burned about 11 square miles, forcing the evacuation of about 50 people from a lodge and cabin operation and several campgrounds. Thirty horses also have been evacuated.
In Yellowstone, four fires are burning but all major visitor areas and roads remain open. The largest fire has burned about 42 square miles between West Yellowstone, Montana, and Madison Junction.
A fast-moving rangeland wildfire in eastern Idaho expanded to nearly 70 square miles on Wednesday, forcing evacuations, threatening a windfarm and burning habitat needed by sage grouse.
The Bonneville County Sheriff's Office says evacuations are in place with up to 70 buildings along US Highway 26 threatened.
Officials say the human-caused fire reported Sunday about 7 miles east of Idaho Falls is making wind-driven runs to the north and east.
Officials say high winds are again predicted on Wednesday along with low humidity.
In central Idaho, a 160-square-mile wildfire in a remote, mountainous area continues to defy containment and burn through timbered slopes that are difficult for firefighters to reach.
The fire that started July 18 is 40pc contained but expected to burn through September when rain or snow arrives.
A stubborn and destructive wildfire on California's central coast continues to grow as crews struggle to increase containment.
Cal Fire's Rich Eagan said Wednesday that the 10-day-old blaze has charred more than 60 square miles of dry brush and timber and destroyed 45 homes. The fire has remained at 35pc containment for several days.
At least 2,400 people are under evacuation orders in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties.
Hearst Castle, William Randolph Hearst's palatial ocean-view estate that's now a tourist attraction, remains closed because of its proximity to the flames. Officials say they are increasingly confident it will be spared.
Several other fires in central California have burned tens of thousands of acres of brush and prompted evacuations of campgrounds and recreation areas.
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