Wildfire intensity and damage are rising, are we sure they are natural occurring, are humans contributing to them?

The 2017 wildfire season was one of the most destructive in history, as well as the most expensive, damage topped $10 billion. The largest fire in California state history was the Thomas fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, they burned into late January 2018. It was the largest fire in history that is until the Mendocino Complex Fire (August 2018) captured that distinction. this year's fires have not caught up to last years in the amount of area, but they are 30% larger than the average of 2017's firestorm. This year is worse than any other season in memory, and the fire season has just begun. The fires are more intense, bigger, and more destructive. That is the subject of this blog.

A wildfire in New Mexico, it is so intense it looks like an outdoor
grill, it's actually a mountainside on fire.

Wildfires are naturally occurring disastrous events, not isolated to the United States, they are burning all around the world. Burning as far North as the Arctic Circle and as far South as the Mediterranean Coast. Wildfires are needed to restore nutrients to the soil, clearing years of undergrowth, and helping trees like the Giant Sequoias reproduce.

The increase in damage and intensity makes one wonder how much human activity has added to the highly destructive conflagrations that are occurring as of late. How much has our activity added to the risks, damage, and intensity of the fires?

The droughts definitely contribute greatly to the availability of fuel, high winds, and hot temperatures team together to increase the intensity of the flames. Creation of their own weather systems due in part to their immense size, causing fire tornadoes with winds as high as 145 miles per hour, a Catagory 1 Hurricane wind speed begins at 74 miles per hour. They form a funnel, referring to them as "tornadoes" is proper, however, fire hurricane would be accurate also. When combined with drought, overgrowth, and high temperatures it's a volatile situation.

Fires need a co-operating venue, and they have it in the Western United States, and one of the major hot spots being California. It is a naturally dry, hot, mountainous and wooded state. Much of the state is unoccupied, such an area is the Sierra Nevada's, and all of the Northern State. Being unpopulated there are not as many eyes to see and report fires that start in these remote areas. But they are not staying remote, we are expecting an increase in population, it is estimated 650,000 homes will be constructed in "Very High" wildfire-prone areas by the year 2050. We are drawn to beautiful vistas', mountaintop lots, and wooded secluded areas.

An area such as this in the Santa Monica Mountains is what is burning
now in the Los Angelos area, it is very secluded as is most of the state.

Construction in Wildfire prone areas is on the increase, 95% of the residents of the state live on a mere 6% of the land. Napa, Sonoma, Oakhurst, and Grass Valley are a few of the desirable spots for relocation. they are also some of the areas most at risk from over development and wildfires. The fires don't differentiate between who lives where, they don't discriminate between rich and poor areas, scenic vacation spots, or beautiful scenic views.

The development of these areas is basically just adding fuel to the fires, increasing the amount of valuable property damage, destroyed infrastructure, and human casualties. Adding so much fuel to the flames our activities are actually increasing the intensity of the fires. During years past smaller fires would burn away the undergrowth and be contained before they ran savagely out of control, there were no structures to add to the infernal. Building in these highly combustible areas led to fire prevention management Increasing the fire risk, in some instances adding to the accumulation of dry undergrowth.

We start the fires, yes us, humans are responsible for the ignition of 85-90% of all wildfires, including failed utility equipment, vehicle breakdowns, and arson. Lightning starts its fair share of them, but humans start 7 times as many, and far more than landslides or other natural causes. Although the majority of wildfires during the 2017 season are blamed on the state's utilities, in Northern California it is Pacific Gas and Electric, I question it. Twelve fires started in a short amount of time in twelve different locations, failed electrical gear most likely accounted for some. I worked in the electrical generation industry, during my 20 years as a millwright repairing large machinery I rarely witnessed more than one catastrophic failure at a time. The utility may end up paying the bill in the tune of billions of dollars, actually, it is the ratepayers that foot the bill.

Power lines in a remote area have the potential for failure and starting
wildfires, but I wonder how many they actually do start.

The power lines are penetrating the remote areas deeper and further every year, the more people leaving the highly populated major urban centers to escape the "rat race", the more the chances of failed equipment becomes. Barns, outbuildings, shopping centers, and houses all add highly combustible fuel. Many of the building sites are not fire resistant, we want to live in wild areas and ignore the recommendations of the forestry department, Cal-Fire, and local directives. My friend in Redding who is under an evacuation alert told me that the houses that do not have a Fire-Safe area surrounding their homes suffer a higher rate of complete destruction, in fairness those that do have a zone have lost their homes as well, they do have a better chance of having less damage. Proximity drives the death, and damage toll, we are building more and more in fire-prone areas, and the more people relocating will increase the number of fires stated either intentionally or not. Nine people including firefighters have perished this year so far, the season is not 1/2 over yet.

The good news is there are some things we can do to reduce the risks of wildfires.

* Fire Breaks made with heavy equipment strips the vegetation off of the top of wildland exposing the non-combustible dirt beneath it, a wide strip with a berm protects homes in places the dry brush meets them.

* Utilities have developed a program to predict wildfires, as with other natural disasters, like earthquakes, it is easy to predict, the problem is the when, and where. They (the utilities) have developed a system of prediction including wind, the dryness of the terrain, and the wind when the guidelines are exceeded electrical service is discontinued and alerts sent to firefighting entities.

(Follow this Link to learn more about PG&E's wildfire safety program)

* The person claiming the intensity and size is due to a lack of water due to "diverting" water to the ocean, this person has no idea what he is talking about, I recommend he reads the book "Cadillac Desert" if indeed he has the ability to read.

* Curtailing building in fire-prone areas is a much tougher task, when we are burned out rebuilding on the same spot is the norm, especially when homeowners insurance is involved. The insurance companies write a check to cover damages to the homeowner's lender who in turn controls the rebuild, there are few options available unless the mortgage is paid off.

* Building homes with fire-resistant materials is a good practice, coupled with a fire-safe zone of 50 feet around the buildings will save many homes. When issued an evacuation directive is issued placing a watering sprinkler on the roof, and several around the property has shown to be extremely effective in reducing and many times eliminating damage to the buildings.

We are fortunate in that firefighters learn from every fire that occurs, constantly improving their ability to fight fires, and communicating with other agencies to combine ideas and efforts. Even though the fires are becoming more intense, faster moving, and much larger, deaths caused by them are on the decline.

As temperatures rise, droughts are of long length, and we move into wild areas wildfires will increase, as well as the intensity and size.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, keeping alert and reporting arson when witnessed, or other conditions that may ignite a forest may go a long way in reducing them. They will never be completely eliminated but we can certainly make a difference by being observant. Thanks again.

jacquesandkate emergencykitsplus.com