Sen. John McCain Blames Illegal Immigrants For Az. Wildfires; Offers No Proof

After touring the wildfire damage over the weekend, Senator John McCain of Arizona said illegal immigrants could be to blame for some of the flames, but offered no evidence supporting his claim.

“We are concerned about, particularly areas down on the border where there is substantial evidence that some of these fires are caused by people who have crossed our border illegally,” said McCain on Saturday.

A federal spokesman denied there was substantial evidence to support McCain’s claim.

Strong winds and high temperatures are fanning wildfires across much of the southern United States. Three dozen large fires are whipping through ten states. More than 1.2 milliion acres have burned. Texas is getting some of the worst of it, where drought conditions are feeding the flames.

In Arizona, the wallow fire is the largest in the state’s history and has blackened more than half a million acres. Firefighters are struggling to stay ahead of the flames.

Police in the area close to the fire are warning residents their homes may be in danger. Homeowners having to make a tough decision – evacuate or stay.

The scale of the charring can be seen even from space in the red areas on a nasa photo. the Arizona flames are spreading into New Mexico, which has its own blazes burning around Santa Fe and the town of Luna has been evacuated out of precaution.

The wave of flames extends eastward through Georgia and to Florida, where 400 fires have scorched 300,000 acres.

The 4.3 million acres lost to flames this year are two and a half times the national average for the last ten years.