Major wildfires are spreading fast on the Pacific Coast of North America, with the Gifford fire in California threatening homes and livestock. Smoke from the fires is polluting nearby cities.

Santa Maria

Wildfires are rapidly spreading across the Pacific coast of North America, with California's Los Padres National Forest facing severe threats from the Gifford Fire, which has burned over 26,000 hectares. The fire has prompted evacuations and forced ranchers to move livestock, as authorities cite drought conditions for the fast-moving blaze. 

Additional fires in San Bernardino County and Arizona continue to challenge firefighters, while record-breaking wildfires in Canada are causing toxic air alerts across North America. Smoke from these fires is affecting major cities, resulting in some of the highest pollution levels globally.

Wildfires rage up in Canada, U.S. west coast

It's a rapidly escalating emergency. In California's Los Padres National Forest, towering flames are eating their way through dry brush at breakneck speed, threatening hundreds of homes and triggering evacuations. The winds were just, you know, burning your eyes. We had to get out. Ranchers like Dan Cobb are racing to save livestock as fire crews scramble to contain the blaze. It's a loss. It'll start over. So we're going to ship them off to the valley and start up next year. The Gifford Fire has now scorched over 26,000 hectares, with authorities blaming a crippling drought for the dry terrain. This is a very rapidly fast-moving fire through steep terrain with lots of dry vegetation. Further east in San Bernardino County, the Gold Fire is only hours old, but has already burned through 140 hectares with no signs of slowing. In Arizona, firefighters remain locked in a month-long battle with the Dragon Bravo Fire, burning near the Grand Canyon's north rim. My goodness, these firefighters, they'll just work night after day, day after night, until we tell them to come in and we'll swap them out with a fresh crew. Across the northern border in Canada, record-breaking wildfires are triggering toxic air alerts across North America. The dangerous smoke is stretching from Ontario all the way to the Atlantic, blanketing parts of Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis, those cities now ranking among the most polluted in the world. In the United States, Catherine Firkin, 10 News.

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Ukraine Invasion

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Breakdown