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There have been nearly 5000 fires in California since the start of 2018.
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The fire season has been dominating the news.
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“This has turned into another record-setting fire season.”
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“Now the largest in state history.”
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“Really there's no end in sight."
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It's hot.
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It's dry.
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It's windy.
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Just about everything on the ground is flammable.
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But there's one thing that's consistently making wildfires in California worse and
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worse and worse:
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Us.
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At this point, even calling them “wild” fires might be a misnomer, because most of them
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are not natural. Humans are responsible for starting a whopping 84% of them.
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The northern California Carr fire for example, was started by sparks from a car tire' rim.
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And in southern California, the Holy Fire just outside of LA started after a suspected arson.
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These are just two of the fires currently active in the state.
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So far in 2018 629,000 acres have burned.
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That's nearly 3 times as much compared to the same time period in 2017.
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What makes these fires so dangerous, damaging, and therefore costly is that more human-made
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infrastructure is getting caught in the flames.
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This map highlights the parts of California most prone to fires, and it's no surprise
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that — yeah — that's where these fires are.
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But compare it to
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this map, which shows population density growth projections.
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Put them together, and it's clear:
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California's population is growing out from urban centers
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directly into the areas
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at the highest risk for fire.
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Meanwhile, the state is spending more and more to fight fires each year,
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as more and more people move into areas that put them in harm's way.
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“It's up to all of us to protect and preserve the forests we have.”
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So, since we made this mess worse, what can we do?
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“'That's a good job!'
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said Smokey the Bear.”
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Being mindful of how we spark these fires is a good start,
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but the bigger problems contributing to this — like man-made climate change — are unlikely
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to reverse.
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And despite the risks, humans keep moving into these areas.
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“Fires creeping real real close to some residences up here.”
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"By 2050 another 645,000 houses will be built at areas at very high risk for wildfires."
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We have the opportunity to get out of the way of wildfires, and let nature run its course.
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But will we?
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“Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”
