Wildfires in California are more devastating than ever

"PHOTOS: Deadly Camp Fire burns through Butte County, California" Edelson, Josh. ABC 7 News.

On the past days, California’s State has suffered a series of three wildfires, which according to historical records, have been the deadliest and most devastating until now. The main factor which fuels the wildfires, is the dry weather and vegetation caused by the scarce rains during the past month. Even though they started on Thursday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) hasn’t been able to neutralize them. As a consequence of this, the wildfires are still spreading all over the state.

The three wildfires are located in different places all over the Californian State. One in the north and two in the south. In the south there’s the Woolsey wildfire which has reached most of Los Angeles and Malibu, and the Hill wildfire which has reached the Newbury Park area of western Thousand Oaks. Then in the north there’s the biggest fire of all, Camp fire, which has destroyed most of Paradise, Butte county. Between the three, they have swelled more than 170,000 acres (approximately 6 times Paris capital), killed 9 people, evacuated more than 250,000 people and destroyed nearly 7,000 structures.

California is a state who yearly experiences this “season” of wildfires. Usually it starts in mid-summer and continues through early autumn. However, on 2018 the season started long before expected, in July’s first week. According to experts’ studies, this season started before as a consequence of the climate change, which is affecting how dry the vegetation and air is on the state. These conditions intensify the speed and range of devastation of the wildfires. They warn that if the climate change continues like this the season of wildfires is likely to become a year-round issue.

These wildfires are the real proof of what climate change is doing to our planet. Even though it is an issue which California has to deal with every year, the fact that they are becoming more frequent and powerful is alarming for all the citizens living there. This is a call of attention not only for the people living there, but for all of the people in the world. We need a change to stop this problematic. So, what are you waiting for?

Bibliography

· Ortiz, Erik. “There's no more typical California wildfire season. It may be year-round, experts warn.” Available on: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/there-s-no-more-typical-wildfire-season-california-it-may-n934521

· Chavez, Nicole, et al. “California wildfire wipes out much of one town, kills 9” Available on: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/09/us/camp-fire-california/index.html

· Andone, Akin, et al. “Death toll rises to 23 in California's Camp Fire” Available on: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/10/us/california-wildfires-camp-woolsey-hill/index.html

· Image taken from: “PHOTOS: Deadly Camp Fire burns through Butte County, California” By: Edelson, Josh. ABC 7 News. Available on: https://abc7news.com/weather/photos-camp-fire-burns-through-northern-california/4654029/

By: YCM