Story at a glance
- Wildfires have besieged Northern California since Aug. 15 and consumed more than 1 million acres of land.
- Cooler temperatures and low winds finally let firefighters get a handle on the flames, but it may not last.
After weeks of battling some of California’s largest wildfires, firefighters may have finally caught a break with improved weather conditions.
Reuters reports Tuesday that the heat wave looming across California has given way to cooler temperatures, which allowed firefighters to draw containment lines around some of the wildfires that have collectively torn through 1.25 million acres in California — larger than the Grand Canyon.
Humidity and softer winds allowed firefighters to contain more of the wildfires than dry, hot conditions with gusty winds previously allowed.
LIGHTNING WILDFIRES SCORCH CALIFORNIA, EXPLODE IN SIZE
CALIFORNIA DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AMID WILDFIRES
“The weather has really cooperated with us. We are steadily getting a trickle of new resources in,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Operations Chief Mark Brunton told the press. He spoke about a wildfire near the Bay Area, north of Santa Cruz. Containment on several of the fires rose during this reprieve.
The fortuitous weather is not expected to hold, however, as hot temperatures and arid conditions are expected to return within the upcoming days.
The wildfires that have overtaken Northern California and the greater San Francisco area have brought in more than 14,000 firefighters from about six different states and forced around 136,000 people to evacuate from their homes.
Seven people have been confirmed dead, and four people remain missing. Hundreds of structures, like residences and businesses, have been destroyed as well; the CZU Lightning Complex Fire — one of the most devastating — demolished 330 buildings.
A total of 1,400 buildings have been destroyed, Cal Fire Assistant Deputy Director Daniel Berlant reportedly confirmed. Three thousand more could be added to the total and are still in jeopardy.
These wildfires were largely caused by lightning strikes hitting dry brush, with unfavorable heat and winds exacerbating the flames.
Some officials are reportedly blaming climate change for these fires, since the forests are considered coastal rainforests that don’t burn.
Smoke from the flames also gave way to poor air quality around the Bay Area that even seeped across state lines, with states as far as Kansas experiencing hazy skies from the wildfire smoke.
BAY AREA AIR QUALITY TANKS AMID CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
‘HARD TO PREDICT’ WILDFIRES SCORCH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, PARTS OF NORTH
Published on Aug 26,2020