Largest wildfire in Oregon grows with only 7 per cent containment

A pyrocumulus cloud from the Bootleg Fire drifts into the air near Bly, Oregon. Pic/AFP

The Bootleg Fire, the largest blaze currently raging in the US state of Oregon, has grown to more than 2,27,000 acres, an area larger than New York City, with only seven per cent containment, according to a report.

The fire, beginning on July 6, has destroyed at least 11 homes and 35 other structures in Klamath County, OregonLive said.

The conflagration has forced 2,000 people to evacuate and is threatening 5,000 buildings, including homes and smaller structures in a rural area just north of the California border, fire spokeswoman Holly Krake said. Active flames are surging along 322 km of the fire's perimeter, she said, and it's expected to merge with a smaller, but equally explosive fire by nightfall.

The Bootleg Fire is now 976 sq km - larger than the area of New York City - and mostly uncontained. "We're likely going to continue to see fire growth over miles and miles of active fire line," Krake said.

2,000
Number of people evacuated after the raging blaze continues to threaten towns

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