Shanghai, Europe Brief News – Hundreds have been forced to evacuate from their homes due to a swift-moving wildfire in southern California.
Some 20 mansions have been torched so far as global warming makes “safe havens” increasingly rare.
Wildfires pose at least a moderate risk to more than 30 million properties across the United States, according to modelling by First Street Foundation, a non-profit that maps climate risks.
The Coastal fire in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, has grown to 199 acres since it began on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the largest wildfire in the US has burned around 170 homes in New Mexico, and continues to threaten communities and businesses.
Fire season is off to an early start, partly due to a decades-long drought.
The Coastal fire is not contained, officials said in an update on Thursday, although the winds that have fuelled the blaze are forecast to die down later.
Around 900 homes were still under mandatory evacuation order in the hills around the city of Laguna Beach by Thursday morning.
A handful of counties in Georgia state, for example, were among those with the largest projected rise in the share of properties with at least moderate wildfire risk between now and 2052.
The researchers looked at about 140 million properties nationwide, including residential and commercial buildings, as well as vital infrastructure including schools and airports.
They found close to 80 million people face some degree of risk, with 30.4 million facing at least “moderate” risk.
