The Bootleg Fire in Oregon has scorched 537 square miles, an area that is larger than Los Angeles.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Forestry said the fire is generating so much heat that ‘it's changing the weather’. “Normally the weather predicts what the fire will do. In this case, the fire is predicting what the weather will do,” said Marcus Kauffman.
The blaze, named after the nearby Bootleg Spring, has forced at least 2,000 residents from mostly rural areas to abandon their homes. At least 160 homes and buildings have been destroyed so far, but no deaths have yet been reported.
It began burning on July 6 and has been spreading over 1,100 acres per hour for more than 13 consecutive days
