...
By Alia Shoaib
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
An interactive map by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) shows where active fires are burning in 14 counties across the state. So far, more than 66,000 acres of land have been burned.
The website said that there have been more than 270,000 emergency responses to deal with roughly 2,100 wildfires. Twelve structures have been destroyed while nine others have been damaged.
Read more: Emergency Funds: How to Build One and Where to Keep It
Read More on News
Active wildfires are listed with the date they started burning, which county they are in, and how many acres they have spread across.
One wildfire in Los Angeles County, named the Post Fire, is the state's first major fire of the year, and has grown to more than 15,000 acres. As of 9 a.m. ET Tuesday, the fire was 24 percent contained.
About 1,200 people had been evacuated from Hungry Valley Park by the California Park Services to escape the fast-moving fire, Cal Fire said.
Read more: Find the Right Type of Savings Account for Your Needs
Newsweek reached out to Cal Fire for more information about the wildfires via email sent outside of regular working hours.
Firefighter response has been hampered by challenging conditions, including heavy winds, high temperatures and steep terrain, said Kenichi Haskett, a Los Angeles County Fire Department section chief.
"When it's windy, it just sprays the water everywhere we don't need it. So that's a challenge," Haskett said, according to The Associated Press.
...
The second-largest fire, named the Sites Fire, is burning in Colusa County and has spanned nearly 9,000 acres.
The third largest, the Aero Fire, is in Calaveras County and has burned more than 5,000 acres. These two fires are 0 percent contained. Each of the other active wildfires currently cover about 1,000 acres or fewer.
Read more: Average Savings Account Rates
"If you're in a warning area, be prepared with a 'go bag,' with overnight clothes and your cellphone, your medicines, your glasses. Have your car fueled up," Haskett said. "Be ready to evacuate."
Wildfires have long been a significant hazard in many parts of the U.S. In recent years, the number and size of wildfires have been increasing, with studies indicating that climate change has been a contributing factor.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles, said in an online briefing that more fires are to be expected in the state this summer, per AP.
"These are not peak season fires either in scope or behavior, or in terms of where they're burning," Swain said. "In many ways, they're classic, early-season fires since they're primarily burning in grass and brush.
"And the bad news is that I think that the back half of this season is going to be much more active, with a lot more concerning level of wildfire activity in a lot of areas than the first half."
Swain said he expects there to be more fire activity in July at lower elevations and in August at higher elevations.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines