California: where rain is rare and fires are frequent.
As predicted at the beginning of summer, fire season has hit the Central Coast hard this year, and flames are currently scorching Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties.
The Rey Fire is hitting closest to home, and as of 5:54 a.m. on Aug. 30 it had burned 32,601 acres and was 78 percent contained with 778 personnel responding. The fire, which burned east of Cachuma Lake along Los Padres National Forest, began on Aug. 18 near the Rock Day Use Picnic Area. The U.S. Forest Service estimated the blaze would be contained by 12 a.m. on Aug. 31.
The Chimney Fire, which began in San Luis Obispo County on Aug. 13, is also coming under control. Fire officials ordered local evacuations and the closure of Hearst Castle, both of which were lifted on Monday, Aug. 29. As of 6:15 a.m. on Aug. 30, the fire was 75 percent contained and had covered 46,344 acres, according to Cal Fire. It destroyed 49 residences and 21 other structures, with 3,416 fire personnel responding.
Unfortunately, the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County has kept fighting. An illegal campfire started the flames on July 22, and according to the U.S. Forest Service, the blaze was only 60 percent contained as of 11:17 a.m. on Aug. 30. By that time, the fire had destroyed 57 homes and 11 outbuildings, with 1,232 responders at the scene. Continuing increased fire activity called for additional evacuations along Highway 1 on the evening of Aug. 28.
John Dumas, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard, told the Sun in a previous interview that fire season has become longer and harsher in recent years thanks to—you guessed it—the drought.
Bill Patzert of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said the increasing numbers of dead trees in forests add to the already-dry climate, exacerbating forest fires.
“We have millions of dead trees, not only in the national forest but also in the urban landscape, because this has been building for many, many years,” Patzert said in a June interview with the Sun. “After a quite disappointing rain season last year, and essentially no rain and snow the year before, the situation is exceptionally volatile. So that’s the bottom line. We’re screwed.”
This article appears in Sep 1-8, 2016.