iStock/Thinkstock(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) — Massive wildfires continue to burn as states in the West work through a weekend of record heat.
The Sherpa Fire in Santa Barbara County, California, has increased to over 7,500 acres, forcing hundreds to evacuate. Fire officials said it was 50 percent contained as of Saturday night.
The weather conditions in Santa Barbara are ripe for wildfires with the “sundowner” winds and the state’s five-year drought.
Fires are also burning in New Mexico, where 24 homes have been lost, and in Arizona, where 12,000 acres have burned so far causing more evacuations.
In Phoenix this weekend, temperatures could hit a record 120 degrees, as a heat wave from California to Texas is set to affect millions.
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