California Wildfires are getting worse. Joe Tyler, Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), recently announced during a news conference that wildfires in the state have already burned five times more land than usual for the current season.
Tyler, the state’s top wildfire official, has stressed an increased need for prudence among California citizens. This is as the wildfire season progresses.
Press Conference
Tyler said at a July 11 news briefing that state firefighting troops have reacted to over 3,500 wildfires this year. Thus, destroying about 220,000 acres.
“We are not just in a fire season, we are in a fire year,” Tyler stated during the news conference. “Our winds and the recent temperatures worsened the problem, consuming thousands of acres. So we need to be extremely cautious.”
California Wildfires
Wildfires are common in California, particularly between the peak fire season, which runs from late spring to early October. Every year, thousands of wildfires are reported. As of mid-July, there had been 3,873 wildfires in 2024.
Due to a confluence of various circumstances, experts have been alerting the public to the elevated risk of wildfires in California.
How are California Wildfires Caused?
A very rainy winter in California resulted in an abundance of grass, which quickly dried and became kindling as the weather warmed up.
California and other parts of the country are experiencing a severe heat wave, which creates excellent circumstances for fires to ignite.
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Drought Ends
The wet weather in California this winter was credited with getting the state out of what was being dubbed a megadrought.
A research published earlier this year in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that such a record snowfall is an aberration that is unlikely to occur again.
June Lightning
As the warmth dried out the additional grass caused by an unusually precipitous winter season, a heavy sequence of lightning storms in June began to ignite the area, kicking off the wildfire season in earnest.
At the end of June, the National Lightning Detection Network recorded more than 66,000 lightning incidents in California, the most in a single day in the previous five years.
Dry Lightning
Sadly for Californians, lightning in the Golden State has been extremely dry, which means that it brings little, if any, rain. Approximately ⅓ of California had been affected by lightning strikes around June 22 and June 23, which was assumed to be the cause of the Thunder Fire.
“This is the #ThunderFire burning here in the foothills of #KernCounty, just east of the #5fwy,” stated KNX reporter Brian Douglas on X. “It is around 190 acres and 15% enclosed. “It began with a lightning strike.
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Are California Wildfires Caused by Climate Change?
While major reasons for the increasing wildfire situation differ by place and habitat, Glen MacDonald, a UCLA distinguished professor of geography, believes that climate change is an existential threat affecting every region.
It enhances a vapor pressure deficit – the gap between the amount of humidity is in the atmosphere compared to how much it can store.
Newsom’s Remarks
Governor Gavin Newsom of California declared that the current heatwave, which is breaking records throughout the West, is a result of climate change.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared at a press conference that “climate change is real.” “The great state of California is home to those extremes on a daily basis.”
Plea to Residents
During his press conference, Director Tyler warned citizens not to underestimate the possibility of wildfire and to have measures in place in case the worst happened.
“This is my plea to you, please create a wildfire action plan that addresses escape routes, meeting points, animal arrangements, and a communications plan with your family,” Tyler went on.
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Pay Attention to Officials
Tyler also underlined the necessity of listening to people in positions of authority who are attempting to provide residents with up-to-date information.
“Listen to law police and our firefighters for evacuation warnings and orders. Prepare your home to defend against an oncoming wildfire by hardening it and utilizing defensible space,” Tyler further added.
Trouble Fighting Fires
The recent extreme heat has made it harder for firefighters to tackle the multiple fires that are rapidly spreading across wide areas.
Cal Fire has had to adjust to the conditions, modifying the protective equipment of its workers to decrease their load as the heat exhausts firemen.
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