October 11, 2017

On Monday, October 9, multiple wildfires swept across northern California, destroying some 2,000 homes and other buildings, killing 21 people and displacing tens of thousands of others. California Governor Jerry Brown declared states of emergency in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Sonoma, and Yuba counties, where the destruction is worst. Dozens of people remain missing as the fires continue to burn.

Firefighters hose the flames of a burning home in the Napa wine region of California late on Oct. 9, 2017. Credit: © Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images

Unusually hot and dry weather this summer has created ideal conditions for wildfires across northern California. At least 15 separate blazes broke out over the weekend, and strong winds whipped the flames across some 114 square miles (295 square kilometers). Napa and Sonoma counties, the heart of California’s wine country, were hardest hit. The status of the grape harvest remains unclear, but damage from fire and smoke is almost certainly widespread. Fires devastated parts of the city of Santa Rosa, where entire neighborhoods have been left in ashes and cinders.

Skies from San Francisco to Sacramento to Eureka remain choked with smoke and haze, and an orange glow illuminates the night. Numerous roads, schools, and business are closed, and several hospitals in the fire zone have been evacuated. Thousands of firefighters and numerous firefighting aircraft—including the massive Global SuperTanker (a converted Boeing 747 airliner)—are battling the blazes. Amy Head, the fire captain spokesperson for Cal Fire, the state agency responsible for fire protection, said the fires were probably linked to a warming climate. “It has been hotter, it has been drier, our fire seasons have been longer, fires are burning more intensely, which is a direct correlation to the climate changing,” she said.

Another state of emergency was declared on Monday in southern California’s Orange County, where a wildfire destroyed several homes in the affluent Anaheim Hills neighborhood and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

September 6, 2017

Over Labor Day weekend in southern California, the La Tuna wildfire expanded to become one of the largest fires in the history of the city of Los Angeles. The fire, burning in the Verdugo Mountains just north of downtown Los Angeles, has covered as much as 7,000 acres (2,830 hectares), consuming several houses and causing evacuations, injuries, and road closings. The bright hilltop flames could be seen throughout the giant metro area, which has roasted in 100 °F (38 °C) temperatures during an extended heat wave.

The La Tuna wildfire burns in the Verdugo Mountains in the eastern San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 1, 2017. Credit: Scott L (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

The fire began Friday night along a stretch of La Tuna Canyon Road and the 210 Freeway between Burbank, Glendale, and the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. More than 700 residents were forced to flee their homes, and the roads passing through the fire were closed, creating traffic headaches during the holiday weekend. There is no known cause for the fire, but investigators have seen no evidence of arson.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles County, allowing Mayor Eric Garcetti to use state and federal assistance. On Sunday, cooler temperatures and brief showers helped more than 1,000 firefighters contain some 30 percent of the massive La Tuna fire. Bulldozers and hand crews also helped by clearing brush and other fuel from the remaining perimeter of the fire. The 210 Freeway has since partially reopened and people have been allowed to return to their homes—with words of caution that heavy winds could cause the fire to spread out of control once again. Under current conditions, firefighters hope to completely contain the wildfire in the coming days.

In Riverside County east of Los Angeles, firefighters were battling another giant wildfire over the weekend. The 3,800-acre (1,540-hectare) Palmer brush fire broke out Saturday and forced more than 400 people from their homes. The recent heat wave in Los Angeles is not unique to the city, either, as record-setting temperatures have broiled Eureka, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland in northern California.

In 1961, the Bel Air fire burned 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares) and destroyed more than 480 homes in Los Angeles. In 2008, the Sayre fire consumed over 11,000 acres (4,450 hectares) and hundreds of buildings in Los Angeles.

May 5, 2016

A small plane flies through the smoke above Fort McMurray, Alberta, on May 3, 2016. Local government evacuated the entire population of the Canadian oil sands city as a wildfire whipped by high winds engulfed homes and sent ash raining down on residents. Credit: © Kitty Cochrane, The Canadian Press/AP Photos

A wildfire that began burning on Sunday, May 1, in Alberta, Canada, forced the evacuation of an entire town, Fort McMurray. The fire broke out during record-high temperatures—in the 90′s °F (30′s °C)—and low humidity for this time of year in this area of Canada. By May 2, around 7,500 acres (3,000 hectares) of forested area was burning and, on May 3, the fire turned toward Fort McMurray. In anticipation, the town, home to over 60,000 people, had been evacuated the night before. Fort McMurray is surrounded on all sides by forest and the fire laid waste to nearly the entire town by May 4. Nearby areas—including the Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, and Fort McMurray First Nation communities—were evacuated as the fire spread south. The Canadian government estimates a total of nearly 90,000 people have been displaced.

The Fort McMurray area, in the Athabasca tar sands region, is a dangerous place for wildfires. The area is home to recovery plants (similar to refineries) for oil extracted from the sands. The recovery plants are filled with flammable oil and chemicals. The fire has stopped oil production in much of Canada’s energy region.

About 18,000 acres (7,200 hectares) of forest have burned. Firefighters hope that cooler temperatures today (the forecast temperature is 66 °F [19 °C]) will make it easier to bring the fire under control. 

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December 28, 2015

During the Christmas weekend, weather patterns around the world produced a variety of extremes, from torrential rains and flooding in North America, South America, Europe, and Australia to fierce snowstorms in North America and raging wildfires in Australia.

Fire-damaged buildings are seen alongside a house that survived the Christmas Day bushfires at Separation Creek in the Otway Ranges south of Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 27, 2015. Credit: © Julian Smith, EPA/Landov

Heavy storms pounded the Midwestern and Southern United States with rain and snow. Tornadoes with winds of up to 200 miles (320 kilometers) per hour tore through Texas, killing at least 11 people. Meanwhile, some areas of New Mexico received more than 1 foot (0.3 meter) of snow. At least 43 people died throughout the United States as a result of these storms and the flooding that followed. Meteorologists noted that higher-than-average temperatures contributed to the severity of the storms.

In Australia, a lightning strike in the southeastern state of Victoria on December 19 caused a series of wildfires known as bushfires. The fires grew in size and intensity and destroyed more than 100 homes on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, monsoon rains caused major flooding in the Northern Territory, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. At the same time, in South America, more than 100,000 people fled their homes in areas of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay to escape flooding caused by heavy rainfall. In northern England in the United Kingdom, downpours led to extensive flooding as dozens of rivers overflowed.

Authorities noted that El Niño conditions were to blame for much of the extreme weather. An El Niño is a part of the interaction between Earth’s atmosphere and the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. El Niños occur about every two to seven years, and can affect climate throughout the world. The term El Niño originally referred to a current of warm water that flows southward along the coast of Ecuador and Peru, in western South America, every winter. About every two to seven years, the warm current is abnormally strong, lasts for an unusually long time, and is accompanied by changes in the winds and precipitation across the entire tropical Pacific region. For this reason, El Niño came to refer to the entire interaction of the ocean and atmosphere during the period of the stronger-than-normal current. According to the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations affiliate, this year’s El Niño is the strongest in more than 15 years.

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September 21, 2015

California wildfires have been spurred on in 2015 by dry conditions and high winds. Credit: © N. F. Photography/Shutterstock

Over the past weekend (ending on September 20), the 2015 wildfire season in northern California continued as two major fires put the number of homes destroyed over 1,400 . Although largely contained by Monday, the Valley and Butte fires in Lake and Napa counties have so far destroyed more than 2,600 buildings. Spurred on by hot, dry, and windy conditions, the wildfires are now the third most destructive in California history. Although the two fires are now largely contained by firefighters, at least six people were killed in California wildfires over the weekend, and the fires continue to threaten other properties.

A wildfire is the uncontrolled burning of large areas of vegetation (plant life). Depending on where they occur, such fires may also be called brushfires, bushfires, or forest fires. Wildfires may be ignited by human activities or by natural causes. The size and intensity of a wildfire depends on the type of vegetation fueling it, the terrain, and the weather. Since January 1, 2015, wildfires in the United States have burned more than 8.9 million acres (3.6 million hectares), mostly in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. This year’s fires have already burned more land than in any other year over the last decade. The hardest hit areas are about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of California’s capital Sacramento.

The Valley and Butte fires were only two of at least 10 major wildfires currently burning in California. U.S. Forest Service officials believe the wildfire season this year is so bad because the vegetation in the area has been rendered bone dry after severe drought over the last four years, and more recently weeks of extreme summer heat. Data from the Forest Service indicates that the fire season, typically occurring over the summer months from June through August, now extends almost year round, averaging 78 days longer compared to fire seasons in the 1970’s. Areas of Lake and Napa counties had been evacuated last week, but people have been allowed to return as more than 4,000 firefighters managed to contain the worst fires after midweek rain. However, the weather forecast calls for continued hot and dry conditions that increase the danger of wildfire outbreaks over the next few weeks.

September 15, 2015

Over last weekend, September 12th and 13th, California once again became the top priority for the United States Forest Service, as destructive wildfires broke out in several regions in the northern part of the state. Spurred on by hot, dry, and windy conditions, the wildfires burned through about 61,000 acres (24,690 hectares) of tinder-dry forest within about 24 hours. By Monday, the fires had caused at least one death.

A wildfire is the uncontrolled burning of large areas of vegetation (plant life). Depending on where they occur, such fires may also be called brushfires, bushfires, or forest fires. Wildfires may be ignited by human activities or by natural causes. The size and intensity of a wildfire depends on the type of vegetation fueling it, the terrain, and the weather. Since January 1 of this year, wildfires in the United States have burned more than 8.7 million acres (3.5 million hectares), mostly in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. This year’s fires have already burned more land than in any other year over the last decade.

In the hardest hit areas, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of California’s capital Sacramento, the fires consumed at least 400 homes and buildings and displaced thousands of residents. Many people had to flee from their homes with little or no warning. A separate fire centered about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Napa has devastated about 78 square miles (202 square kilometers) so quickly that it left fire officials astonished. Forest Service officials believe the wildfires, which were probably started by lightning, spread so fast because the vegetation in the area has been rendered bone dry after severe drought over the last four years, and more recently, by weeks of extreme summer heat.

Firefighters are trying to protect an ancient grove of trees in Sequoia National Park that are threatened by the raging wildfires in California. (National Park Service)

On Monday, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Lake and Napa counties due to the raging wildfires. Because these fires are so close to major cities and towns, more than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed to combat the blazes. The firefighters also worked to protect an ancient grove of Giant Sequoia trees at Sequoia National Park. This grove includes the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world by volume.

Another Behind the Headline article

• Wildfires Scorch Western United States (Aug. 24, 2015)