By John Bacon, USA Today
Scores of wildfires racing across much of the Northwest could be energized this week by a resurgence of high winds and heat, forecasters warned Monday.
The historic Dixie Fire is threatening thousands of homes across four Northern California counties, but more than 100 major blazes are raging through 15 Western states, authorities say.
“An extremely challenging stretch is in store for area firefighters over the upcoming days as episodes of gusty winds will precede the building heat,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
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**Updated with video** Environmental News: Dixie Fire mushrooms into second-largest wildfire in CA history
Thick smoke that held down winds and temperatures in many areas also brought havoc to air quality. Denver on Saturday had literally the worst air quality in the world, according to IQair.com. On Monday the city had yielded the top spot – to Krasnoyarsk, Russia – but still ranked seventh in the world, just behind Salt Lake City.
Twenty-five major fires are burning in Montana, the most of any state. Idaho has 20, Oregon has 16, Washington 13 and California 11. Temperatures could climb 25 degrees above average in some areas this week, worsening the already intense drought across the region, AccuWeather said.
How heat domes fuel fires:
Heat dome brings record-breaking high temperatures to the West
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