(FOX NEWS) – The blistering heat wave battering the Pacific Northwest this week has already killed around a dozen people in the U.S. and sent more than 1,000 people to local medical facilities.
During a Wednesday briefing with cabinet officials, governors and private sector partners to discuss the heat, drought and wildfires in the Western U.S., President Biden told attendees 2021 could be "even tougher based on the weather patterns" than the previous summer.
"I know you all know this better than any other people in the country. The fire season traditionally lasts through October. But, with climate change driving the dangerous confluence of extreme heat and prolonged drought, we're seeing wildfires of greater intensity that move with more speed, last well beyond traditional months of fire season," he said. "And, that's a problem for all of us. Wildfires are not a partisan phenomenon."
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