GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Running out of money to fight wildfires at the peak of the season, the U.S. Forest Service is diverting $600 million from timber, recreation and other areas to fill the gap.
The nation’s top wildfire-fighting agency was down to $50 million after spending $967 million so far this year, said Forest Service spokesman Larry Chambers in an e-mail.
Chambers said the $50 million the Forest Service has left is typically enough to pay for just a few days of fighting fires when the nation is at its top wildfire-preparedness level, which went into effect Tuesday.
There are 51 large uncontained fires burning across the nation, making it tough to meet demands for fire crews and equipment.
An out-of-control forest fire was threatening about 2,500 structures near Yosemite National Park on Wednesday. Wildfires were also burning in California, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
