Wildfires In California’s History

Introduction

An uncontrolled, destructive fire that consumes woodlands or forests is a wildfire. Wildfires erupt all around the globe in different seasons due to various reasons; Natural or anthropogenic. These fires can prove to be beneficial in a number of ways if occurred in a controlled manner but can wreak havoc if left unchecked. Australia, South Africa, Canada, Brazil have gone through many wildfires at different times in the past. Like all these countries Californian wildfires have an extensive history too. Many area of land has been effected by these fires such as in 2019 259,823 acres of land was burned, in 2018, 8.8 million acres and 10 million in 2017.

History

In California there have been 7860 wildfires recorded from the time when California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) started keeping records, which is from 1932. Some of these fires blazed for many miles and caused great destruction while others were on small scale, but their effect was extensive too. According to CAL FIRE all of these past fires are categorized in three different categories, namely; Largest Wildfires, Deadliest Wildfires and Most-destructive Wildfires. Largest Wildfires are the ones that spanned over a vast area and burnt for many acres, such as The Mendocino Complex 2018 lit up an area of 459,123 acres, Rush Fire 2012 burnt sagebrush that was growing on 315,577 acres, Cedar 2003 that burnt an area of 273,246 in San Diego.

Deadliest Wildfires were classified based on the number of lives that it took. Camp 2018 in Butte claimed the lives of 86 people, Tubbs 2017 killed 22 people, Iron Alps Complex 2008 took 10 lives.

Then the last classification is Most-destructive Wildfires that destroyed many structures including buildings, houses and other infrastructure. These fires include Camp 2018 which consumed 18,804 structures. Thomas 2017 in Ventura, Santa Barbara which destroyed 1063 structures. Sayre 2008, Los Angeles that burnt 604 structures.

Many Counties in California have been a victim to these wildfires time and again such as Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County, Oakland etc. For example, in Oakland, fires of various sizes occurred in 1923, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1946, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2002, and 2008.

Mechanism

• Ignition of the Fire

The spreading of these fires basically involves two steps; Ignition and propagation. According to CAL FIRE 95% of the fires are started due to human factors. Such as campfires that were not properly put out and then left unchecked. Also, cigarette butts are also one of the main culprits and then another factor is Arson, people such as pyromaniacs deliberately start a fire which was the case in the 2003 Old fire in San Bernardino County. There are other reasons as well such as driving cars with a flat tyre as the rim of the car produces spark with the road surface due to friction, a fire the 2018 Carr fire in Shasta County was started due to the very reason. The hunter’s fire signals can also cause a fire to spread as this happened in 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County. Recent wildfires, such as the Kincaide fire in Sonoma County was caused by downed power lines that landed on trees and sparked a blaze.

One of the natural phenomena that ignites these fires is lightning, such as the McDonald Fire that grew over for 1000 acres in Lassen County. Mostly the weather in California remains dry no matter summers or winters, with less to extremely less moisture in the atmosphere, sparks caused by friction of branches, twigs and leaves becomes inevitable. To add fuel to the fire the hot weather aids in its ignition due to dryness. Also, now due to the Climate Change, California is becoming hotter with now temperatures being 3°F more than before, this has further made the environment ideal for wildfire. Also, if there is already drought conditions then it makes more ideal conditions for a fire to start.

• Propagation of the Fire

Once these fires have kindled, they propagate for millions of acres of land. These fires catch from one source of fuel such as a tree to another. Drier the combustible material, better and quicker the fire will catch on to it.

The main reason for the rapid spread of these fires is the wind activity in California. Santa Ana and Diablo winds are the two winds that are credited for stoking the wildfires. These winds blow in the spring and fall seasons. Due to the cold temperatures present in the inland basin areas of USA, a high-pressure area is generated. Then at the coastal area the temperatures are relatively high which causes a low-pressure area to be generated. The generation of the pressure gradient causes the air from the inland basin to rush towards the costal areas. But California is surrounded by mountain ranges; Sierra Nevada range, Diablo range and Transverse range. When the air moves from the inland basin in the way of the wind is a mountain range present the Sierra Nevada. As the air moves, it has to go over and then down from mountains, which causes the moisture to condense as it moves up and the downward movement from mountains compresses the air making it hot. Also, it is not necessary for the air to always go over the mountains some wind will also travel between the mountains and when the air forces out of the narrow passage it picks up velocity. Due to all this movement, by the time air reaches California it has an increased air temperature, it is drier and has an intensified velocity. So, when these winds pass through California’s woods, bushes, shrubs and forests it carries the already ignited flames to a greater distance.

These winds when experienced in Southern California are called Santa Anna winds and are called Diablo winds when they blow in Northern California.

Most destructive fire

The Camp Fire that occurred in 2018 is the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in the United States since the Cloquet fire in 1918. The fire got its name from the name of its origination, Camp Creek Road in Butte County. The fire started on November 8th and reports tell that it was started due to the ignition of defective electric transmission wires. The wildfire spread to 153,336 acres, destroying the towns of Concow, Paradise which lost 95% of their structures, and also partial town of Mangalia was destroyed and within this area it consumed 18,804 structures. 52,000 people were safely evacuated, but 85 civilians died, 12 civilians and 5 firefighters were injured. The damaged caused by the wildfire was estimated to be $16.5 million. After burning for 18 days the fire was finally contained on November 25th, due to the arrival of winter rainstorm. The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the utility company responsible for the faulty power line, filed for bankruptcy, citing expected wildfire liabilities of $30 billion. To prevent bankruptcy, on December 7, 2019, the utility made a settlement offer for $13.6 billion; the offer covered the four devastating fires caused by the utility, including the Camp Fire, and pled guilty on 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Preventive and Mitigative Measures

California’s leadership is taking preventive measures are being taken to protect California’s wildfire vulnerable communities. To combat these fires $550million has been allotted for the preventive and mitigative efforts. CAL FIRE with aid from Forest Management Task Force and other agencies is conducting out a program for the removal of the dead trees from the forests floor. This would cut down the fuel for the fire to catch on to. The aim is to also clear bushes and especially the ones lining the highway. As California is a drought-prone region and climate change is playing a huge role in exacerbating these wildfires CAL FIRE with the help of National Weather Service is on the constant lookout for any weather patterns that would indicate a dry-spell/ drought, this would give them a heads-up to take the precautionary measures. Certain engineering initiative have also been taken such as Strategic Undergrounding; powerlines will be laid underground instead of the overhead powerline structures, another initiative would also be Microgrids; instead of laying the vast net of electrical lines the grids are compressed and localized.

As most of the wildfires start due to human negligence, extensive monitoring and inspection programs are laid out to observe any activity that would lead to a wildfire. Public is also being made more aware and being made more educated on how these fires can occur, so that people are more careful the next time they go for camping or think about throwing their cigarette in a forest are.

As 95% of the wildfires are human doing so, in my opinion, to further prevent a wildfire heavy fines must be imposed and in case of arson or carelessness people should be locked-up, the fear of law enforcement will force people to not carry out this type of activity ever.

Conclusion

Wildfires have been a huge part of California’s history. These fires have ranged from small to extremely large and destructive ones. Along with natural phenomenon human activities have also been a force for the start these fires. Now, in recent times due to Climate Change these wildfires have intensified. After the ignition the spread of it is all credited to the rapid, dry winds blowing through the woods. But to counter these fires CAL FIRE is taking intense measures.