California blaze crosses into Nevada in the US

The Manhattan skyline is under a haze due to wildfire smoke from the West, on July 21 in New York City. Pic/AFP

A Northern California wildfire crossed into Nevada, prompting new evacuations, but better weather has been helping crews battling the nation's largest blaze in southern Oregon.

The Tamarack Fire south of Lake Tahoe had burned more than 68 square miles (176 square kilometers) of timber and head-high chaparral in national forest land. It erupted on July 4 and was one of nearly two dozen blazes sparked by lightning strikes.

More than 1,200 firefighters were battling the Alpine County blaze, which has destroyed at least 10 buildings, forced evacuations and had closed parts of US 395 in Nevada and California. Fire officials expected extreme fire behaviour on Thursday, which could see 14-mph winds and temperatures approaching 90 degrees.

The nation's largest wildfire, Oregon's Bootleg Fire, grew to 618 square miles (1,601 square kilometers), just over half the size of Rhode Island. However, authorities said lower winds and temperatures allowed crews to improve fire lines. The fire also was approaching an area burnt by a previous fire on its southeastern flank, raising hope that lack of fuel could reduce its spread.

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