May 16, 2014

At least 36 wildfires mostly burning out of control along the coast of southern California have forced thousands of residents to flee their homes. Fires were burning in Anaheim, Lompoc, Long Beach, North Hills, and Santa Paula. In hard-hit San Diego County, a fire that broke out on May 14, split into nine fires that have already burned some 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) and claimed dozens of homes and other buildings. The fires have forced partial evacuations at Camp Pendleton, an important U.S. Marine Corp base; the Legoland amusement park; and the San Onofre nuclear power plant. Officials ordered mandatory evacuations in parts of San Marcos, including California State University, San Marcos, where commencement was rescheduled.

The most destructive of the fires was in Carlsbad, where 8 homes, an 18-unit apartment building, and 2 commercial buildings were destroyed or damaged yesterday. One death has been linked to the fire. “This is May, this is unbelievable,” Carlsbad Fire Chief Michael Davis told the Associated Press. “This is something we should see in October. I haven’t seen it this hot, this dry, this long in May.”

Plumes of smoke and ash from wildfires (circled in red) north of San Diego are thick enough to be seen in a satellite image. (NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team)

A combination of extremely hot, dry air and gusty winds are fueling the fires. The entire state of California, which in 2013 experienced its hottest summer ever, is suffering from moderate to exceptional drought conditions. However, ABC affiliate KGTV reported being told by officials that eight of the nine fires in San Diego County have “a suspicious ignition point.”

The intense fires have spawned “firenadoes,” terrifying, tornadolike columns of swirling winds surrounding coils of fire. The vortexes suck in burning debris, flammable gases, and smoke and throw burning embers for long distances, igniting new fires.

Additional World Book articles:

• Weather (2013) (a Back in Time article)
• Parched Earth (a Special Report)
• Weathering the Storm: Adapting to Global Warming (a Special Report)