California, the west coast gem. The place where high speed car chases on Route 66 are filmed, celebrities take strolls down the palm filled streets of Los Angeles, and tourist take hikes on the beautiful mountain side or visit the beach with over 700 miles of coastline. It is no surprise that people would seek some of the attractions that Cali has to offer. In 2015, Cali recorded a population of over 39 million people.
However, people do not notice a few of the import things that affect California. Since 1950 there have been over 20 large damaging fires in California. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and federal agencies including the U.S forest services recorded in the last major fire in San Bernardino County, the Blue Cut fire burned over 38,000 acres of brush and homes in just 48 hours. This forced more than 82,000 people out of their homes and approximately 1,600 firefighters on duty.
Wildfires like the Blue Cut fire is one of the many fierce fires that have affected California. In early August, another wildfire erupted in Lake County, destroying over 189 homes. In the last year, wildfires have been occurring with more frequency and strength. The reason for this is due to parts of California having less than 5 percent of humidity. Droughts leave forest trees and shrubs dry or dead. Shrubs and trees easily catch on fire.
Not only are wildfires destroying homes, but they are also costly to extinguish. The Forest Service is cannot budget massive wildfires and have enough remaining funds for other emergencies and restorations if wildfires are occurring more frequently. In June, the Forest Service asked Congress, to have the federal government allocate more funds for firefighters.
Officials are now calling for a new integrated approach to wildfire management, one that includes the acknowledgement of human impact on the landscape and the contribution to fire damage, and better fire safety procedures and protocols.
California, the west coast gem on fire.
