California wildfires threaten water, electricity supply

More than 4 thousand heavily geared firefighting personnel were still trying to control what seems to be one of the worst wildfires in the history of California, which already burnt down 60 thousand hectares -- an area as big as Chicago city. The fire named Rim Fire that started in Yosemite National Park on 17 August could not be taken under control by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection despite the use of bulldozers and helicopters and now started to threaten facilities that supply water and electricity to the city. California Governor Jerry Brown declared last Friday a state of emergency when efforts to contain the devastating blazes continued to fail. Officials from governor’s office are reportedly holding talks with Pentagon commanders and Canadian authorities for support that may be required to control the fire.   A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for some residences in the area and Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic by California. The cause of the fire is still unknown.