Читать книгу Disaster Response and Recovery - David A. McEntire - Страница 33

Wildfires are hazards that often result from lightning strikes and they can quickly envelop hundreds of acres of forest. However, humans may also play a role in the ignition of wildfires due to carelessness with matches, cigarettes, grills, campfires and even towing chains. High temperatures, low humidity, consistent drought conditions that parch grasses and fields, and strong winds can also cause fires to spread rapidly. Such wildfires are known by different names in various parts of the world. For instance, in Australia, these hazards are called brushfires and they can be especially dangerous. From September 2019 to March 2020, multiple fires burned 46,000,000 acres in the southeastern part of the country. Because they destroyed nearly 6,000 homes and killed 34 people, the brushfire season became to known as “Black Summer.”

Many forest fires around the planet and in the United States occur in largely isolated areas (e.g., Yellowstone National Park). However, wildfires increasingly threaten people’s settlements due to the urban–wildland interface. For instance, in October 2007, wildfires in Southern California were extremely devastating. Some of the fires were started by power lines that were damaged due to strong Santa Ana winds or by a truck that overturned (causing sparks). Others were ignited by an arsonist and a boy who was playing with matches. The extreme fire conditions at this particular time of year scorched over 500,000 acres in counties from as far north as Santa Barbara all the way down to San Diego. The fires destroyed over 1,500 homes and required the evacuation of up to 950,000 people. In addition, over 12,000 people had to be sheltered at Qualcomm Stadium. Many roads had to be closed as a result of the fast‐moving flames, and responders from CAL FIRE, the National Guard, and even Canada were called in to extinguish the fires. Both ground and air crews were needed to get the fires under control, which occurred by November 6.

California has experienced many deadly fires since this time and the risk appears to be increasing. In December 2017, the Thomas fire severely impacted Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. It burned 281,000 acres and destroyed 1,000 homes. The following November, the Camp Fire was ignited by a faulty power transmission line. Due to the loss of cell towers and inadequate warnings, 85 people perished in Paradise City. A few years later, California witnessed the worst fire season in history. In 2020, over 9,600 fires burned 4,397,809 acres and destroyed over 10,000 homes. These fires were blamed on inadequate forestry policies (e.g., lack of fuel thinning and controlled burning), climate change, and even arson. Fortunately, such wildfires fires may be extinguished with the help of ground crews and air tanker support. They may also die out as a result of topographic conditions (e.g., a gulch or river), weather changes (e.g., lower temperatures and rain), and the lack of fuel (e.g., scarcity of trees and undergrowth).