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More Than Half Of U.S. Firefighters Battling Wildfires Are In California
Flames and smoke overtake a tree in Fairfield, California on August 19, 2020 (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
There are currently more than 560 wildfires devastating large swaths of California, two of which now qualify for the top ten list of largest fires in state history. Both of those are less than 15% contained.
An exceptionally bad situation made possible by climate change — and more than our emergency response infrastructure can handle.
Under extreme weather conditions, significant fire growth has broken the records as 2 of the lightning complexes have made CA's Top 20 Largest Wildfire List. As of today, the #SCULightningComplex is now the 7th largest fire in CA history and the #LNULightningComplex is the 10th pic.twitter.com/vsdM9VNz4b
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 21, 2020
Randy Moore, regional forester with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, said:
“The resources are stretched to the limit. Crews, engines, dozers, water tenders, helicopters. They’re all working existing fires or are on mandatory rest periods."
Roughly 13,500 of the 22,000 firefighters battling wildfires across the U.S. right now are in CA.
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“We’ve requested assistance of firefighting resources from outside of California, however, when the nation is on [preparedness level five] the availability of resources is really limited, and often committed to fires in other states,” said Moore.
That means they may not get all the help they need, even as the number of new wildfires grows.
As such, the focus for many incident management teams has shifted primarily towards saving lives and infrastructure, with little hope of stopping multiple blazes from consuming more and more of our hallowed forests.
Unrelenting heat, unrelenting wildfires, and an unrelenting pandemic is leaving firefighters fatigued. And, like many Californians, they’re burned out.
A scary prospect given that what’s usually the worst of our wildfire season - when the Santa Ana winds start blowing — has yet to arrive.
- Every Day Is Fire Season. Here's How Angelenos Can Prepare Right Now
- How To Find Out About Fire Evacuations In Your Area
- How To Keep Yourself Safe From Wildfire Smoke
- The Air Is Brown — Should I Wear A Mask?
- This Is Why Fire Officials Don't Want You To Stay And Defend Your Home
- What Does 'Containment' Of A Fire Mean, Exactly?
- What Does A 'Red Flag Warning' Mean, Exactly?
- What To Do — And Not Do — When You Get Home After A Wildfire
- How To Avoid Getting Towed During LA's Red Flag Parking Restrictions
- If You Want To Help Fire Victims, Resist The Urge To Volunteer
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