Firefighters were battling fast-spreading wildfires in California's wine country and central Oregon on Aug. 24 as hot, dry weather over the weekend increased the risk of wildfires across the western United States.

A sweltering heat wave lingering across the West has prompted extreme heat warnings and watches for portions of the Desert Southwest, California, Washington, and Oregon. Several high-temperature records were broken in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington recently, and heat warnings and advisories are expected to remain in place through Aug. 26.

The high temperatures combined with dry winds and low humidity have fueled conditions for growth on existing fires and new fires, according to the U.S. Forest Service . Multiple wildfires have already erupted in parts of the Wes

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