California wildfires have been continuously devouring the state that already killed 31 people, destroyed about 7,000 structures - as of this writing - and the figures are still expected to increase. The country is facing three major wildfires, the Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire, and Hill Fire that made around 300,000 people evacuate their homes. With the prevalence of wildfires today, can it be the result of climate change and why it is so hard to kill the flames?
According to National Geographic, wildfires can start anywhere where dry bush is exposed to initiate a flame. The small fire can lead to ablaze, and it is exactly what is happening in California.
"What we're seeing now is that the fire season for the last two years has been a year-round fire season," California Fire Foundation's chairman and California Professional Firefighters' president Brian Rice said. The fall season comes with "dry summer conditions" that leave the country vulnerable to flames. The U.S. drought monitor noted that about 18 percent of the state is experiencing a high drought that worsens the fires and makes it difficult for the firefighters to bring it down.
Heavy winds in California also makes the fires grow and double in size in no time. The Woolsey Fire had spread from 8,000 acres to 35,000 acres in less than a day on Friday because of the strong breeze. The air stream can make the fires "uncontrollable and unpredictable" for the firefighters to fight.
California is known for its hillsides and canyons, but, sadly, both help to grow the fire and make it more difficult for the firefighters to fight the flame. The landscapes become heating systems as the fire hits the rock walls.
So, Rice said that it is too dangerous to bring the ground crew to these rough rocky places. Aerial firefighters carrying fire retardant fly over the blazes while smokejumpers, firefighters who parachute down a forest fire's site, will brave the flames.
Although it is a natural condition, wildfire is reportedly worsened by climate change. California governor Jerry Brown said at a press conference that climate change is the main reason behind the state experiencing deadlier and more destructive wildfires.
The Guardian noted that climate change makes the forests' conditions more vulnerable to wildfires in the American West. 20 of the largest wildfires recorded in California's history happened when the forests became hotter and drier.
The temperatures in the American West have dramatically increased by two folds the global average since 1970. As a result, the western wildfire season lengthens. It also dries out great lengths of forests that make it prone to fires.
