A tanker plane is missing in Oregon as Western wildfires spread [Video]

A single-pilot tanker plane disappeared in eastern Oregon while fighting one of the many wildfires spreading across several Western states, and the search has come up empty so far, authorities said Friday.

The plane contracted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management went missing Thursday while fighting the Falls Fire, near the town of Seneca on the edge of the Malheur National Forest. The blaze has grown to 219 square miles (567 square kilometers) and is 55% contained, the government website InciWeb shows.

Thomas Kyle-Milward, spokesperson for Northwest Incident Management Team 8, said authorities received a report of a missing aircraft around 6:53 p.m. Thursday. The pilot was the only person on board.

Climate change is increasing the frequency of lightning strikes as the region endures recording-breaking heat and bone-dry conditions. More than 110 active fires covering 2,800 square miles (7,250 square kilometers) were burning in the U.S. on Friday, …