California Is Still on Fire

The beautiful and sunny image that most people have of California is quickly being replaced by blazing fires and utter destruction. The Western state has struggled greatly with all-encompassing fires for the majority of recent years. During the year 2013, an estimated 523,966 acres of land were scorched and destroyed and 462 structures were burned down. Those statistics seem meager compared to the 1,618,033 acres burned, the 93 fatalities and the 23,145 destroyed structures that fell victim to the California fires of 2018.

California has been so susceptible to wildfires due to a number of reasons. First and foremost: climate change. Nine of the ten largest fires in California’s history have occurred since 2010, coinciding with the hottest years ever recorded since 2000. Drier and hotter conditions obviously lead to things like drier vegetation. Parched vegetation has a much higher chance of igniting and burning than moist vegetation. These dry and hot conditions have made California forests catch fire in a domino-like fashion. Increasing temperatures in the environment will continue to dry out vegetation and lead to massive fires at alarming rates. 

In addition to increasing temperatures, high wind gusts have also contributed greatly to the increase of fires in California. During the weekend of Oct. 26-27, an extreme red flag advisory was issued after winds reaching speeds of up to 80 mph tore through the state. High-speed winds contribute to fires by providing fuel in the form of oxygen. Increased oxygen levels cause fires to burn much more rapidly and spread more quickly. In addition to fueling the fires themselves, high wind speeds are detrimental to areas experiencing wildfires because they can prevent air support from providing relief. Helicopters can be left unable to supply areas with fire-retardant or water relief. These fire-relief methods have been employed in the state since the early 1990s. High-speed winds can also contribute to the transportation of burning embers, which leads to new blazes to deal with. 

There are currently four active fires taking hold of California, as of Oct. 2019. The names of these fires are “Easy Fire,” “Getty Fire,” “Kincade Fire” and the “Burris Fire,” which has been mostly contained, at this point. The other three fires continue to scorch the state at an alarming rate and have still not been contained. So far, 542 structures have been destroyed and one fatality has been reported. Hundreds of thousands of land acreage will continue to be scorched as the fires rage on. On Twitter, famous celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger warned of the severity of the California fires and encouraged people in the way of the blazes to evacuate as instructed. 

The terrifyingly grim reality that California residents are experiencing was beautifully but sorrowfully captured in a wedding photo by photographer Karna Roa. Newlyweds Katie and Curtis Ferland, who are originally from Chicago, decided on a destination wedding in California to experience the beautiful Wine Country. The Chicago natives, however, were met with less than beautiful conditions for the day of their wedding. So much smoke was circulating through the air that the newlyweds had to wear masks on their faces and were eventually instructed to give out protective masks to all of their guests as well.

In the photo below, captured by Roa, the newlyweds stand in the middle of a California vineyard with what appears to be a beautiful sunset beaming behind them. However, it’s not a sunset, but a massive fire that rages closer by the hour. The blazing California fires have no mercy for major life events occurring and continue to burn on powerfully. Photographer Roa recounts that this is the fourth wedding in the past three years that has been disrupted by wildfires. “There are people who are still having major life events, and it’s happening right in the middle of a firestorm,” Roa says. 

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• climate
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