(CNN) The largest wildfire in the United States approached 400,000 acres burned with containment at just 38%, officials said Thursday.
The Bootleg Fire has charred 399,359 acres in southern Oregon, including some land that is set aside for carbon offsets .
"The fire will continue to be extremely active with gusty winds and extremely dry fuels," says an update posted to InciWeb, the national clearinghouse for wildfire information.
Officials in recent days have touted progress against the massive fire, which was started July 6 by lightning.
"Fire crews and support personnel have made significant progress in containing this fire in the last few days," Joe Prummer of the Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team said. "However, we still have a long road ahead of us to ensure the safety of the surrounding communities."
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How to support western wildfire victims var pymParent = new pym.Parent('fire-tracker-embed', 'https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/weather/wildfire-and-air-quality-tracker/embed.html?z=7.5&lnglat=-121.0981,42.60924&i=OR&l=s&hed=Latest%20growth%20of%20the%20Bootleg%20fire', {}); The blaze grew about 4,000 acres Thursday and officials said there was growth and activity in two areas but the advance was controlled with bulldozers. It is now the third-largest fire in Oregon since 1900, Marcus Kauffman, spokesperson for Oregon Department of Forestry, told CNN's Poppy Harlow on Thursday. More than 2,100 people under some form of evacuation due to the fire, according to Kauffman. Record-breaking, triple-digit temperatures and severe drought have devastated parts of Oregon. Those conditions have been fueling the fire and forcing evacuations. Doug Grafe, chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry, this week predicted a "long, difficult fire season." He said Tuesday -- when the fire had burned 388,000 acres -- it's possible that another 50,000 to 100,000 acres could burn before the Bootleg Fire is contained. "The future for us for the remainder of the season continues to look above normal dry and above normal temperatures," Grafe said. "So this is not going to return to normal anytime soon." A ban on campfires will be banned in state parks and state-managed forests east of Interstate 5 started Thursday, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said. That covers all regions of the state except the Pacific coast and a portion of the Willamette Valley. The ban includes not only charcoal and propane fires, but also tiki torches and even candles. Photos: Wildfires raging in the West This aerial photo, taken on Thursday, August 19, shows burned homes at the Creekside Mobile Home Park a day after they were destroyed by the Cache Fire in Clearlake, California. Hide Caption 1 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters dig a containment line on the Caldor Fire near Pollock Pines, California, on Wednesday, August 18. Hide Caption 2 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Smoke and haze from wildfires obscure the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline on August 18. Hide Caption 3 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West In this long-exposure photo, embers light up hillsides as the Dixie Fire burns near Milford, California, on Tuesday, August 17. Hide Caption 4 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Destiney Barnard holds Raymond William Goetchius while stranded at a gas station in Doyle, California, on August 17. Barnard's car broke down as she was helping Raymond and his family flee the Dixie Fire. Hide Caption 5 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Destroyed property is seen August 17 after the Caldor Fire passed through Grizzly Flats, California. Hide Caption 6 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters spray water on trees being burned by the Dixie Fire near Janesville, California, on August 17. Hide Caption 7 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A firefighting helicopter flies in front of the sun, which was shrouded in thick wildfire smoke near Lakeview, Oregon, on Sunday, August 15. Hide Caption 8 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Wind blows smoke away for a moment, revealing damage from the Parleys Canyon Fire in Utah on Saturday, August 14. Hide Caption 9 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Crews battle a fire in Newhall, California, on August 12. Hide Caption 10 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A table and chairs sit in front of a destroyed home in Greenville, California, on August 12. Hide Caption 11 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire near Taylorsville, California, on August 10. Hide Caption 12 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Smoke plumes rise from the Kwis Fire near Eugene, Oregon, on August 10. Hide Caption 13 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A firefighter works to extinguish a controlled burn, a preventative measure, to protect a home in Greenville, California, on August 9. Hide Caption 14 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear a fallen tree from a roadway in Plumas County, California, on August 6. Hide Caption 15 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Flames from the Dixie Fire consume a pickup truck on Highway 89, south of Greenville, California, on August 5. Hide Caption 16 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Operations Chief Jay Walter passes the historic Sierra Lodge as the Dixie Fire burns through Greenville, California, on August 4. The fire leveled multiple historic buildings and dozens of homes in central Greenville. Hide Caption 17 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters work at a Greenville home that was engulfed by the Dixie Fire on August 4. Hide Caption 18 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West The Dixie Fire burns near Taylorsville, California, on July 29. Hide Caption 19 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak tour an area destroyed by the Tamarack Fire in Gardnerville, Nevada, on July 28. Hide Caption 20 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighter Brentt Call walks through a burned-over area of the Bootleg Fire near Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 27. Hide Caption 21 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Cal Fire Capts. Tristan Gale, left, and Derek Leong monitor a firing operation in California's Lassen National Forest on July 26. Crews had set a ground fire to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading. Hide Caption 22 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters try to reach a fire site in Quincy, California, on July 25. Hide Caption 23 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Volunteers sort clothing at a donation shelter for those affected by the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon. Hide Caption 24 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Scott Griffin surveys his property, which was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire in Sycan Estates, Oregon. Hide Caption 25 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Flames consume a home as the Dixie Fire tears through the Indian Falls community of Plumas County, California, on July 24. Hide Caption 26 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West People stand behind the fire line as flames from the Steptoe Canyon Fire spread through dry grass in Colton, Washington, on July 22. Hide Caption 27 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Plumes of smoke from the Dixie Fire rise above California's Plumas National Forest, near the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Power House, on July 21. Hide Caption 28 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters walk near a wildfire in Topanga, California, on July 19. Hide Caption 29 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A firefighter does mop-up work in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, which has been struggling with the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. Hide Caption 30 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A car is charred by the Bootleg Fire along a mountain road near Bly, Oregon. Hide Caption 31 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Nicolas Bey, 11, hugs his father, Sayyid, near a donated trailer they are using after their home was burned in the Bootleg Fire near Beatty, Oregon. Hide Caption 32 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters extinguish hot spots in an area affected by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Oregon. Hide Caption 33 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A bear cub clings to a tree after being spotted by a safety officer at the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. Hide Caption 34 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters work to protect Markleeville, California, from the Tamarack Fire on July 17. The Tamarack Fire was started by a lightning strike. Hide Caption 35 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West The Tamarack Fire burns in Markleeville, near the California-Nevada border, on July 17. Hide Caption 36 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A member of the Northwest Incident Management Team 12 holds a map of the Chuweah Creek Fire as wildfires devastated Nespelem, Washington, on July 16. Hide Caption 37 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A cloud from the Bootleg Fire drifts into the air near Bly, Oregon, on July 16. Hide Caption 38 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters spray water from the Union Pacific Railroad's fire train while battling the Dixie Fire in California's Plumas National Forest on July 16. Hide Caption 39 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Horses climb a hillside that was burned by the Chuweah Creek Fire in eastern Washington. Hide Caption 40 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Fire from the Bootleg Fire illuminates smoke near Bly, Oregon, on the night of July 16. Hide Caption 41 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A firefighter battles the Bootleg Fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, along the Oregon and California border, on July 15. Hide Caption 42 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West A firefighting aircraft drops flame retardant on the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon, on July 15. Hide Caption 43 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters dig away at hot spots underneath stumps and brush after flames from the Snake River Complex Fire swept through the area south of Lewiston, Idaho, on July 15. Hide Caption 44 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Burned cars sit outside a home that was destroyed by the Chuweah Creek Fire in Nespelem, Washington. Hide Caption 45 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Evacuee Dee McCarley hugs her cat Bunny at a Red Cross center in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 14. Hide Caption 46 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West An airplane drops fire retardant on the Chuweah Creek Fire in Washington on July 14. Hide Caption 47 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Operations Section Chief Bert Thayer examines a map of the Bootleg Fire in Chiloquin, Oregon, on July 13. Hide Caption 48 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Fire consumes a home as the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, tears through Doyle, California, on July 10. It's the second time in less than a year that the small town has been ravaged by a wildfire. Hide Caption 49 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Men hug a member of the Red Cross at a Bootleg Fire evacuation center in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Hide Caption 50 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Embers blow across a field as the Sugar Fire burns in Doyle, California, on July 9. Hide Caption 51 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West Firefighters monitor the Sugar Fire in Doyle, California, on July 9. Hide Caption 52 of 53 Photos: Wildfires raging in the West In this long-exposure photograph, taken early on July 2, flames surround a drought-stricken Shasta Lake during the Salt Fire in Lakehead, California. Hide Caption 53 of 53 /* global CNN */'use strict';jQuery(document).ready(function () {var galleryAdSlide = new CNN.AdSlide('el__gallery', false, CNN.contentModel.singletonFile);}); People in other areas of US getting short break from thick smoke There was a break Thursday in poor air quality stretching as far as the East Coast . A cold front helped pushed out smoke created by the US and Canadian fires. But by Thursday night, smoke from wildfires could return, before another front will push through the region on Saturday into Sunday to help clean it out again, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy. Wildfires have erupted across the globe, scorching places that rarely burned before This will be the pattern until the jet stream changes direction and/or the fires have diminished, he said. The intensity of the fires was so strong that high-level winds had carried their smoke to the East Coast, where New York City recorded its worst air quality day in over a decade. The city saw a 24-hour average Air Quality Index of 154 on Tuesday, the worst it's been since June 2006, when the AQI was 157. With 79 large fires burning across 13 states , more than 21,700 wildland firefighters are battling blazes across the country. The fires have collectively scorched at least 1.49 million acres as of Thursday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). And in Canada, a state of emergency was declared for British Columbia, where 3,180 firefighters are working on 300 fires across the province, officials said. Heavy smoke billows from the Dixie fire above the Plumas National Forest near the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Powerhouse in Belden, California. {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","name": "Heavy smoke billows from the Dixie fire above the Plumas National Forest near the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Powerhouse in Belden, California.","description": "Heavy smoke billows from the Dixie fire above the Plumas National Forest near the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Powerhouse in Belden, California.","url": "//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210722153501-0721-dixie-fire-file-large-169.jpg"} More fires ravage US lands The NIFC says eight active large fires in California have already burned more than 230,000 acres and additional evacuations were issued Wednesday around the Dixie Fire in Butte and Plumas counties. "Firefighters fought the fire aggressively. Firefighters continued construction on control lines and engaged in structure defense overnight. Fire is going to continue to move Northeast. Air and ground firefighting resources will work together to strengthen and improve control lines," according to a statement from InciWeb . A burned car damaged by the Bootleg Fire is seen here along a mountain road on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","name": "A burned car damaged by the Bootleg Fire is seen here along a mountain road on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)","description": "A burned car damaged by the Bootleg Fire is seen here along a mountain road on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)","url": "//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210722125222-0721-wildfire-bootleg-large-169.jpg"} Montana currently has 17 large wildfires -- the most in the country -- that have charred almost 100,000 acres, and Idaho is seeing 16 active wildfires that burned 178,000 acres, according to NIFC . Following Oregon, the states with the most acres burned are California, Idaho and then Alaska. PG&E announces it will bury 10,000 miles of power lines to help reduce wildfire risk The Dixie Fire has scorched more than 103,000 acres since it began last week and was 17% contained as of Thursday, according to Cal Fire . Evacuations have been ordered in the area, and the fire already destroyed eight structures. On Tuesday, Pacific Gas and Electric said the fire may have been sparked by equipment it manages. In a preliminary filing with the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E detailed an outage alert July 13, the same day the fire started. A responding utility worker found three blown fuses and a tree leaning into a pole, with a small fire on the ground near the base of the tree.
