California Goes Up in Flames

As all Californians know, we are in a drought crisis unmatched by any other in recorded history. Without our usual measly rainfall, the hillsides and valleys of California have become especially crisp. With California's history of large wildfires, the drought, high wind, and even higher temperatures, it comes as a shock to absolutely no one that the state is combusting around us.

This article by the Washington Post details most of the damage excellently with the use of tweets, fire database modeling, and aerospace imagery. In this post, I merely mean to sum up the damage:

Since the drought really took hold of California in 2012, there have been innumerous fires, with over 100 fires occurring in 2012 alone. Fires currently ravaging our state include the Boles Fire, Courtney Fire, Dog Bar Fire, King Fire, June Fire, Meadow Fire, Silverado Fire, the Irene Fire, and three more.

Fires currently burning in CA. Credit

Of these eleven, the 70, 994 acre King Fire which currently rages east of Tahoe is the worst by far. Only 3,500 acres of this fire have been contained, and this spells disaster for rural residents.

The King Fire, courtesy of Google Maps.

The King Fire, whose origins are unknown, is massive a growing and moving fast. Yesterday, Abby Ohlheiser reported that it is threatening over 1,600 homes in Northern California. These factors have “prompted specially trained federal firefighters to take command of the fire early Tuesday morning,” USA Today reported. These firefighters are attempting to slow the movement of the blaze and ensure that it will not jump the gap provided by Highway 50. Some 6,500 firefighters are currently battling the fire and attempting to ward off spread into the highly forested residential area across the highway.

The King Fire at Highway 50, with embers floating across to the Southern side. Courtesy of Nick Janes (@nick_janes).

The King Fire at a closed section of Highway 50, courtesy of Trevor Hughes (@TrevorHughes).

Perhaps the runner-up to the King Fire may be the Boyles Fire that alone has destroyed 150 buildings in the City of Weed, California, including two Churches, the library, an elementary school, and the building of the town's major employer.

While these fires are truly devastating to everyone involved, there is little that can realistically be done. Let's all hope the El Nino and it's down pours of rain are coming, and soon.