6,000 firefighters have been battling the flames for days.
The fire is in such a remote location, that some firefighters have had to take up residence in the area, with supplies flown in alongside them.
Needless
It was a needless fire, started by an alleged arsonist.
The man, who is now in custody and has been charged without bail, pushed a burning car down a steep slope. The result is many ruined lives and huge destruction to the natural landscape.
Patterns Repeating
For California residents, there is a horrible pattern to this. So far 560 homes have been destroyed. More is to come.
The fact that they go through the fear and the disruption every year makes it no less distressing when homes are lost along with lifetimes of memories. “Sadly we’re in a region that has experienced this far too many times in short succession,” said Don Hankins, a fire expert from California State University. “We’ve got a little bit of expertise but it’s a huge burden.”
Dry Conditions a Nightmare
The dry conditions of a Californian summer, plus increased heat from climate change are a nightmare waiting to happen.
The steep canyons and the winds in northern California help to spread fires once they start and each year the fires get more devastating and widespread as global warming increases.
Fourth Largest in State History
The fire which started in Chico on the 24th July is now the fourth largest in state history.
It could go grow even larger, with very little rain to help dampen it and downdrafts of wind as well as the risk of lightning.
More Fires to Come
The start of the wildfire season has been vicious.
So much so that the National Interagency Firecenter has had to request help from Australia and New Zealand to bolster their numbers. Those firefighters will start to arrive on August 7th.
Beautiful Stories
Amidst the chaos and destruction, some humanity has emerged.
Trevor Skaggs of Butte County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue took a helicopter and ran 1.5 miles to rescue a rottweiler and her puppies from the flames.
Wider View
There is little reason to smile, however.
At this point in America, 90 wildfires are burning. Together, they have so far burned 4.5 million acres of land.
Thousands Evacuated
So far more than 4,000 people have been evacuated because of the blaze.
More may be to follow as the fire devours 5,000 acres per hour and is now bigger than Phoenix.
More Information
For more information and fire forecasts, see the National Weather Service website.
California’s Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Information Center also has updates.
