Michael Boren requested more aircraft for 7-acre Cabin Creek fire, some of which were diverted from other fires

Michael Boren, the US undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment who oversees the US Forest Service, reportedly pressed agency staff last month to deploy more aircraft to a 7-acre (2.8-hectare) fire that was burning near his Idaho ranch, according to a Washington Post report on Friday.

The Cabin Creek fire in Idaho began on about 12 July as a result of an unattended campfire, and spread across several acres in Idaho’s Sawtooth national forest. By 15 July, the forest service said that the fire was 100% contained.

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© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Extreme temperatures and repeated wildfires are pushing infrastructure to the limit and testing the continent’s resolve.

© Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Another day of near record heat baked the continent on Friday, but temperatures could retreat to seasonal averages in the coming days.

© Miroslav Lelas/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images