As wildfires continue to ravage America, floods are wreaking havoc elsewhere

EARLIER THIS month wildfires tore through the drought-stricken American West. The largest of them, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, now takes up almost 395,000 hectares—more than the city of Los Angeles. The blaze is so big that it has created its own weather by sucking up smoke and air into “fire clouds”, which can trigger lightning and more fires. Some 2,250 firefighters are working in temperatures that have soared to 47°C (116°F) in order to contain it. America’s National Interagency Fire Centre estimates that 78 large fires are raging across 13 states.