Wildfires can really cause havoc, and two raging wildfires forced around 100,000 residents to flee the area under emergency evacuation orders. The ferocious winds pushed the fires towards populated areas in Orange County, and have already consumed nearly 20,000 acres, and doubled in size overnight. The 2020 fire season in California is relentless and unforgiving, aside from the fires and heat, toxic smoke and ash are spreading across the west.
The Silverado fire has already torched about 11,200 acres after breaking out in the Santa Ana Mountains a few days ago, and is only 5% contained. Tha Santa Ana winds fuel the blaze near the city of Irvine, with gusts of 50 to 60 mph. An estimated 750 firefighters have been dispatched to combat the raging Silverado Fire. Unfortunately, two firefighters were severely burned in the battle, according to Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). The two were 26 and 31 years old, and remain in critical condition. These heroes require ventilators after suffering 2nd and 3rd degree burns across half their bodies.
OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy said in a news conference, “This is tough for me, tough for all my firefighters and certainly for the families of my two injured firefighters. They’re gravely injured. We’re doing all we can for them.”
It remains uncertain what caused the blaze, Southern California Edison is investigating a report of electrical equipment that broke out on state land as the cause. The company noted that a “lashing wire” connecting a telecom line to a support cable could have hit the 12,000 volt primary conducting line above. This may have resulted in the fire breaking out, it was reported to the state Public Utilities Commission.
Just last month, the private utility company filed a report showing that its equipment was also being investigated for the Bobcat Fire. This fire burned and consumed over 115,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest close to Pasadena. It still remains active.
The Blue Ridge Fire which flared up a few days ago in the Santa Ana Canyon, known to be a notorious wind tunnel, spread from the west end of Corona towards Yorba Linda and the Hidden Hills community. This resulted in an evacuation of at least 5,000 homes. The blaze has grown and is far from being contained. Still, firefighters remain vigilant and are doing the best they can to control and eventually extinguish the inferno. If the winds die-down from gusts of up to 96 mph, it may provide for the opportunity for the firefighters to gain a much needed upper-hand in the battle.
Even the streets of East LA and parts of the San Gabriel Valley have not been spared by ash from the nearly-contained Bobcat fire. And the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a red flag across multiple counties. NWS meteorologist David Sweet told the Los Angeles Times, “We have strong winds and very low humidities, and that’s causing ideal conditions for a very strong Santa Ana event with high fire danger. This is very typical for this time of year, but this one is very strong.”
Experts warn that these fires are part of climate change, with carbon dioxide emissions and other heat-trapping gases leading to warmer and drier conditions. This year alone, California has seen fires burn over 4.1 million acres, destroying close to 11,000 homes, and killing at least 31 people. You can just imagine the damage caused to wildlife, particularly animals that cannot evade the toxic smoke.
These wildfires have now become one of the worst disasters this decade, and possibly this century. Hopefully we will win the war, with minimal casualties. It really has been a bad year, but mankind has survived many chaotic and dangerous events. The odds may be against us, but hopefully we will triumph.
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