California’s Record High Wildfires

This year has been very hectic for the Californian people. With over 7000 wildfires this year alone, 2018 marks the most destructive season on record. These wildfires have burned over 1.8 million acres of California land. Over 2.9 billion dollars of destruction has been caused by the fires. The fires have claimed a total of 97 civilians and have also taken the lives of 6 firefighters, all of whom were trying to suppress the fires from continuing. One of the most destructive fires took place in November. It killed at least 85 people, with 11 more people still missing.

These fires can start from anything: cigarettes, camp fires, sparks from power lines, and  fireworks. These fires tend to grow and spread to the point where they are hard to control. California winds also give the fires the oxygen to needed to grow, allowing for the fires to spread at very quick rates. These fires burn through trees, houses and buildings. The fires continue their destruction until rain, or firefighters, take care of it by extinguishing the flames.

On one occasion, in Redding, California, a vortex of fire and ash was created. This “firenado” as its being called, is only the second occurrence in history. What sets these firenados apart from regular whirls of Fire is the fact that the firenados are formed in a very similar way to how a regular tornado forms. This fire tornado was not only destructive on its own but also accelerated many fires in its area. This fire tornado, along with all the other fires, have destroyed over 18,000 structures; this caused thousands of people to relocate. The fires’ victims were forced away from their homes for months at a time, only to come back to their homes being level with the ground.

With a record high number of fires and destruction this year, precautions should be taken for next year to make sure California, or anywhere prone to wild fires, doesn’t go through the same destruction and costs.