In California, hundreds of firefighters are fighting the biggest wildfire that has happened there so far this year.
The McKinney Fire started Friday in the northern part of Siskiyou County and has already burned over 52,500 acres, according to the state’s fire service. Authorities say that at least 2,000 residents and hikers on the Pacific Crest hiking trail have left the area. Homes have been destroyed.
The latest report from the emergency services said that it was not contained at all as of Sunday. As long as California is in a drought, a red flag warning is in place. This means that dangerous fire conditions are possible.
On Saturday, the governor of the state, Gavin Newsom, said that Siskiyou County was in a state of emergency because homes had been destroyed and infrastructure was in danger.
“Dry fuels, extreme drought, high temperatures, winds, and lightning storms” made the fire worse and helped it spread, he said. Authorities say that more fires could start in the next few days if there are thunderstorms.
The US Forest Service warned that conditions could be “extremely dangerous for firefighters, as winds can be unpredictable and very strong, causing the fire to spread in any direction.”
Meteorologist Brad Schaaf told the New York Times, however, that smoke from the McKinney fire could lower temperatures, which would then counteract some of the dangerous “thunderstorm ingredients.”
This is the second big fire in the state in the past few days. Cal Fire says that 67 percent of the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park has been put out, but the fire is still roaring after eight days.
California is in a very bad drought, and there are still months left of fire season. Climate change makes it more likely that it will be hot and dry, which can cause wildfires.
Since the beginning of the industrial era, the world has already warmed by about 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments all over the world cut their emissions by a lot.
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
