The west coast has been on fire for over a month now — and it’s not stopping any time soon.
The state of California is aflame due to the abundance of wildfires occurring — and so are other parts of the west. So far in 2020, millions of acres have burned across the state. The fact that California is going through a heatwave right now does not help the situation at hand either. With temperatures reaching highs of 121 degrees in Los Angeles and 130 degrees in Death Valley, right now, the western U.S. has scorching weather. Due to the forest fires and the blazing heat waves, residents have had to evacuate, families have had their homes destroyed and hiking trails have been demolished.
These fires appear to be caused by California’s climate, which has resulted in dry weather and dry vegetation. Unfortunately, during the summer, California did not get much rain. While they get most of their rain and moisture during the fall and winter, the abundant amount of dryness in the state’s climate created a catalyst for large fires that spread for miles.
The biggest wildfire to hit California in the past month is the August Complex Fire. The August Complex Fire is a massive fire that has been burning for over a month and has destroyed over 794,801 acres of land. The fire began at the start of August, erupting due to a thunderstorm brought in by a passing tropical storm. The thunderstorm started several small fires, which then combined into one large fire. The fire has burned three major forests along with other private land owned by residents. Firefighters have been struggling to put out the areas ablaze due to the rugged terrains, high winds and the extremely hot weather. This fire has forced hundreds of people to evacuate from the area to avoid injuries and deaths as well as the risk of breathing in the smoky air.
One major problem that has caused the residents in fire-prone areas discomfort is the air quality. North California resident Charles Wynter explained that the air was extremely foggy; he could barely see anything.
“There was a heavy amount of wind and fog, which made it hard to see. There was also heavy smoke in the air on the first day, which made it very hard for me to breathe,” said Wynter.
As of Sept. 16, there have been over 25 major wildfires in California. There have been 25 deaths and over 4,200 compositions destroyed. California appears to show no signs of wildfires coming to an end soon. Unfortunately, the land is still dry and prone to more wildfires in the future.
