“There is at least a one-in-five chance of it temporarily exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2024,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said. The Paris climate accord set a goal of not exceeding 1.5-degree (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming since pre-industrial times. --Death Valley, California, hit 129.9 degrees (54.4 degrees Celsius), the hottest the world has seen in 80 years. --Record wildfires struck California and Colorado in the western United States, following a major fire season and record heat in Australia. --The Arctic had record wildfires and a prolonged heat wave culminating in a 100-degree mark (38 degrees Celsius) in Siberia in June.

Evacuation orders also were lifted for the nearby Blue Ridge Fire, where thousands of people in Yorba Linda and neighboring communities had been under orders to flee. No homes were lost but two firefighters remained hospitalized after suffering second- and third-degree burns over large areas of their bodies, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessey said. Two firefighters who battled the Silverado Fire were hospitalized after suffering second- and third-degree burns, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessey said. In Northern California, power had been restored to nearly all residents, according to PG&E. ___Taxin reported from Orange County.