00:00A monster wildfire in Oregon is tearing through the state, and it's on the brink of becoming
00:04a megafire.
00:05The Cram Fire has already scorched more than 95,000 acres near Madras, making it the largest
00:11wildfire in the U.S. this year.
00:13It started on July 13th near Willowdale and has since destroyed homes, forced evacuations,
00:19and left a trail of blackened grasslands.
00:22If it crosses 100,000 acres, it'll officially be classified as a megafire, something that
00:28used to be rare but is now terrifyingly common.
00:31Why?
00:32Experts say it's climate change, and the data backs it up.
00:36Over the past 40 years, wildfire destruction in U.S. forests has skyrocketed by 1,000 percent.
00:42Firefighters are battling flames from multiple directions, while bracing for strong winds and
00:46unpredictable flare-ups.
00:48Nearby, the Butte Creek Fire and the Greeley Heights Fire are adding to the chaos, threatening
00:53more communities.
00:54And while residents pack go-bags under Level 1 alerts, California braces for its own firestorm,
01:00amid warnings about cuts to weather service staffing.
01:03This fire season is just heating up, and America may be facing its new normal.
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