California has always had a history with wildfires. According to Western Fire Chiefs Association, fires are most common between the months of May and November, currently right in the middle of this season of wildfires. Along with the recent heat and lack of rain, wildfires were bound to start. According to CAL Fire, as of October 2nd, the Coffee Pot, Airport, Line, Bridge, Lago and Ridge fires are raging throughout California, with the closest three being the Bridge, Line, and Airport fires. Over the past few months, over 1,400 structures have been destroyed and over one million acres have been burned. Multiple evacuations have occurred and air quality has dropped in the surrounding areas. Thankfully, there has only been one recorded fatality and most of the fires are in the hills.
The Bridge Fire started September 8th, 2024 and is 98% contained. Over San Bernardino and Los Angeles county, it has burned about 54,878 acres. What caused the fire is unknown as of now.
The Line Fire, located in San Bernardino, has burned 43,890 acres of land. It started on September 5th, 2024 due to arson and has been 79% contained.
The Airport Fire started September 9th, 2024 due to equipment related issues. It has burned 23,526 acres in Orange and Riverside county but is 95% contained.
The Coffee Pot Fire started in Tulare county on August 3rd, 2024 due to lightning. It has burned 14,104 acres and been 93% contained.
The Lago Fire in Los Angeles county has only been 10% contained, but it also has only burned 25 acres of land. It started on October 2nd, 2024 due to an unknown cause.
The Ridge Fire started September 29th, 2024 due to an unknown cause. Located in Santa Barbara county, it has only burned 17 acres and has been 75% contained.
While it has been contained as of October 1st, 2024, the Park Fire burned 429,603 acres of land, practically four times the amount of the previous six fires combined! Starting on July 24th, 2024 due to arson, it was located in Butte and Tehama county.
I have a friend, Brian, who lives near the fires only a few dozen miles from us. I asked him some questions about the situation. Here are his responses:
Q: What are your thoughts on the fires?
A: The fires are pretty bad. I got in contact with someone who was in the middle of the airport fires --- it was rough. Even from where I am, I could still see the ash and even the actual fire, so it's pretty worrisome. It's taken its toll, that's for sure.
Q: What safety precautions have you taken? Have you evacuated?
A: Safety precautions I've taken are minimizing the time I spend outside to protect my lungs. My family hasn't evacuated as the fires haven't yet reached us but we're still getting the ash and bad air quality. Our school system refused to shut down despite the fact that the air quality was harmful and 10,000 people signed the petition to close. They mostly just made us eat lunch inside.
Q: How have the fires affected you?
A: Personally, I can't go running anymore until the fires are out. I've been having more frequent asthma attacks, the ash especially is bad for me as I have reduced lung capacity. I was able to see the flames from my house and that was pretty worrying. I have family over by the airport fire so it personally affects me as well. These three fires were personally the first big fires I was exposed to--- it was especially terrifying. The only other fire I saw was a house fire once, so seeing the destructive power of these fires was something equally terrifying and interesting.
Image Courtesy to: Mark Cross, Loma Linda Fire Department.
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