Monday, June 29, 2015

Raging California Forest Fire Burns Scar


On June 17, 2015, California’s first major forest fire of the year erupted as a result of the state’s four-year long drought.  As of June 24, 2015, the fire had engulfed about 27 square miles of the San Bernardino National Forest.  According to InciWeb, a risk incident management system, only about 30 percent of the fire is contained, threatening over 500 surrounding structures.  Satellite images were taken, revealing burn scars and active fires that are usually concealed.  According to the Los Angeles Times,  local officials estimate it will cost $6.8 million dollars to contain the wildfire.  Thankfully, the fire is burning with low intensity, allowing firefighters to safely approach and control the flames.  The fire quickly spread up the mountains, reaching elevations of nearly 10,000 feet.  At that elevation, cooler temperatures and damp grounds are normally expected.  According to William Patzert, a climatologist, the hot, dry conditions are the result of a long region of high atmospheric pressure.  That, in turn, “makes a dry situation an incendiary situation.”  Possible solutions to reduce the risk of wildfires would be to decrease your carbon footprint, lessening the effects of climate change.  Also, California officials could install more irrigation systems or build dams to store water.  Barriers to these solutions could be cost and unawareness.  If people took the time to familiarize themselves with the effects of global warming and became more conservative, we could better protect ourselves against droughts and other environmental catastrophes. http://www.livescience.com/51321-california-lake-fire-photo.html