California is engulfed in flames. Currently, the state is battling 14 active wildfires. The largest, the Line Fire, began on the evening of August 5 at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, near the Natural Parkland Trailhead.
In just 30 hours, the fire's size increased more than 14 times. By September 9, it had spread across over 20,500 acres. Intense heat, critically dry vegetation, and wind are fueling the rapid spread of the fire. Temperatures in Southern California are reaching one hundred five degrees Fahrenheit, which is ten to twenty degrees Fahrenheit above normal.
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for about 4,800 homes in the areas of Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake. Hundreds more residents were forced to leave the town of Highland. According to Cal Fire, over 36,000 structures, including residential and commercial buildings, are under threat. Authorities have strongly urged residents to comply with evacuation orders.
By the morning of Monday, September 9, firefighters managed to contain 3% of the Line Fire. Smoke from the fire has impacted air quality in the region, and local authorities have issued warnings advising residents to stay indoors, close windows and doors, and limit outdoor activities. A state of emergency has been declared in San Bernardino County due to the Line Fire.
Another fire, the Bridge Fire, broke out on September 8 in the Angeles National Forest. By Monday, it had grown to 1,255 acres, leading to road closures. Meanwhile, 100 miles from Sacramento, near Clear Lake, the Boyles Fire erupted, destroying at least 30 structures and forcing the evacuation of 4,000 residents.
So far this year, wildfires in California have burned 838,000 acres of land. In comparison, last year, just over 255,000 acres had burned by this time, according to Cal Fire.
The neighboring state of Nevada is also struggling with wildfires. The Davis Fire, which began on the afternoon of Saturday, September 7, between Reno and Carson City, has rapidly spread, consuming over 4,700 acres. A state of emergency has been declared, and around 14,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Washoe County. Nevada Energy cut power to about 18,700 customers to prevent potential fire outbreaks. Power remained off as of Sunday in areas south of Mt. Rose Highway. The fire has also caused closures along Interstate 580 between Carson City and Reno.
Starting Monday, stronger wind gusts are expected, which, combined with record-high temperatures, could significantly worsen the wildfire situation.
According to the National Fire Information Center, there are currently 70 large wildfires burning across the U.S., covering over two million acres of land.
Recently, wildfires have become increasingly difficult to extinguish, even with modern technology, as they spread across vast areas in a very short time. Scientists say that many of these fires occur in fault zones where hydrogen, methane, and other flammable gases are released from the earth's crust. This makes the fires extremely challenging to contain. Unfortunately, these scientific findings don’t always reach those fighting fires on the ground. If this information were taken into account, certain preventive measures could help protect millions of acres of vegetation, save thousands of animals, minimize financial losses, and most importantly, save human lives.
Humanity is facing a growing problem of increasing natural disasters. The standard approach to solving it is clearly not working. To effectively tackle this issue, international cooperation among scientists is necessary, where they can combine their efforts and resources to develop and implement comprehensive measures to save the planet. Learn more about this at the “Global Crisis. The Responsibility” forum.