California Is Too Lit
January 13, 2018
The wildfire that is currently burning in California, ranging from Ventura to Los Angeles has affected many more that those who live in the state. The fire has cost around $110 million to contain so far. Firefighters are trying their hardest to extinguish the fires against the high winds, which is causing it to spread at random. As of now, the fire has been labeled the Thomas Fire and it has burned through 268,000 acres and is taking 8,400 firefighters to contain it. “The fire has also claimed 31 lives so far, including 32 year old firefighter, Cory David Iverson” [1]. Additionally, tens of thousands of residents have been pushed from their homes and forced to flee.
One of these inhabitants consists of Jennette Fresca who woke up one morning to find flames 100 feet tall surrounding her house. She left all her belongings in her house, including her wallet and drove her car as far away from the fire as possible. Before that night, she did not think the fire would affect her, as many did. It is important to be prepared as the fire is unpredictable and could change directions with the winds. Those who live near or in cities such as Ventura or Los Angeles are under mandatory evacuation, while others are under a voluntary evacuation. Regardless, everyone can feel the effects of the fire and are concerned for family and friends in the area. There are smoke and soot in the air around locations where the fire has not even passed through. Some families are being allowed back into their house once their houses are cleared by authorities, but others have to find a place to stay for a couple more days until the fire has been smothered. One Ridge student, Arul Gupta ‘20, describes his sentiment on the topic as, “a devastating loss for families that are forced to move their lives somewhere else for a period of time.”
These fires have been labeled as unusual, in not only size, but also in the location. This is due to the fact that the fires have sprouted near the middle of houses in urban neighborhoods, which are usually never typical fire zones. Most of these wildfires happen as a result of the dryness in forests or areas which are heavily populated with trees that can ignite by accident. The main cause of fires in general in this area is due to the dry conditions and the state’s Santa Ana winds. The winds are very common October through March. The winds are described as warm, when air blows from the dessert and can sometimes knock down trees and power lines, which essentially cause the fire. Additionally, the winds transport the fire across the state at random, making it extremely difficult for authorities contain it.
This year was the second hottest season on record. “Los Angeles received just 0.11 inches of rain since October” [2]. Due to the lack of rain combined with the dry winds, it made the foliage very susceptible to fire. Scientists expect more fires to keep happening from this point on, and are urging for more actions to be taken by the government in order for the damages to be reduced when the next disaster strikes. This year alone, America has witnessed some natural disasters that have broken world records, such as Hurricane Maria. As the new year approaches, new measures should be taken in order to insure that citizens have some protection from these disasters. Angela Pan ‘20 states her opinion, “especially in this day and age where technology is so prevalent in our lives, I feel like we should take advantage of our technological advances and work to create a solution to contain natural disasters like this one”. Angela believes that there are a lot of ways to improve how natural disasters are being handled in our country. She shares a similar opinion with some scientists who have studied catastrophes like the Thomas fires. “Scientists recommend lowering the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted, as this is the stem of the issue that is causing a lot of warming to the Earth” [2]. The Southern California fires happening now should be a wakeup call for the country as a whole to fix the problem before it gets worse in the future
