California battles its biggest wildfire so far in 2025
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In 24 hours, the July California blaze spread more than 21,000ha, or roughly the size of 29,000 football fields.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – More than 300 firefighters battled a massive blaze in California on July 3, with the state dreading summer wildfires at a time when US President Donald Trump is gutting federal agencies tasked with fighting climate disaster.
The “Madre Fire” broke out on July 2 in San Luis Obispo, a rural county in the heart of the US state. Around 200 people were ordered to evacuate, with dozens of buildings threatened by the flames.
It is the largest blaze so far in 2025 in California, which was scarred by wildfires that destroyed swathes of Los Angeles at the start of the year.
The fire has spread quickly: In 24 hours, it has ravaged more than 21,000ha, about the size of 29,000 football fields, according to the state’s fire service Cal Fire.
Images from the state warning system showed thick columns of black smoke overhanging mountains in the hilly, remote region.
“The state will always show up to protect all communities – no matter where a fire begins,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X, announcing the deployment of reinforcements.
The “Madre Fire” comes at the heel of several other blazes, raising fears of a difficult summer ahead for the state already traumatised by the wildfires that killed 30 people in January
It was an unusually dry winter and spring in southern California, and vegetation is already parched, noted University of California Los Angeles extreme climate events specialist Daniel Swain in a blog post.
“Given the expectation of even more intense and widespread heat later this summer, that extra month or two of vegetation drying will heavily factor into burning conditions later this season,” he said.
It is the first summer season since Mr Trump ordered budget and personnel cuts
On July 2, Mr Newsom accused Mr Trump of not funding enough wildfire prevention projects.
“We need an equivalent commitment of resources – not rhetoric,” Mr Newsom said at a press conference, reminding that “57 per cent of the land in this state is under the jurisdiction of the federal government”. AFP
