A wildfire burning in a sparsely populated region of central Oregon has become the largest fire this year and is on the verge of surpassing 100,000 acres to become a megafire. The blaze dubbed the Cram Fire is burning about 100 miles southeast of Portland. Nearly 900 personnel have been deployed, and officials say it’s 73% contained. The fire has burned more than 95,000 acres so far. A National Interagency Coordination Center report says at least 14 wildfires burned more than 100,000 acres in the U.S. last year. A 2022 Interior Department report found that the number of megafires increased in the preceding decade.
By Isabella O’Malley and Sarah Brumfield, Associated Press
Banner image: In this photo taken with a drone provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, a pyrocumulus cloud, also known as a fire cloud, is seen over the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon on July 14, 2021. (Bootleg Fire Incident Command via AP)
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