Wildfire Situation in California is Improving

Parts of California are still burning as large wildfires continue to scorch the land. However progress is being made on a number of fires.

There are four fires currently burning in California. The Ranch fire has burned 2,534 acres and is 40-percent contained. The Getty fire is now contained, but scorched 745 acres. Then there’s the Kincade fire. While this fire is now contained, it left a huge scar on the state, burning more than 77-thousand acres.

The Getty fire started October 28 and was contained November 6. This fire is believed to have been caused by a tree branch that fell on power lines during strong winds. As a result of the fire, 12 homes were destroyed and another 5 were damaged. This fire was just outside of the city of Los Angeles, and even forced NBA star Lebron James and his family to evacuate from their home.

The Kincade fire is the largest so far this year, burning over 77-thousand acres. It is thought to have started after a high-voltage transmission line malfunctioned. As a result of the fire, 374 structures were destroyed, another 40 were damaged. However no fatalities were reported in this devastating fire. Two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze. This fire also forced thousands to go without power as there was a strong concern of the fire growing.

While the causes of these fires are not naturally, Mother Nature did help to spread and grow these fires. The main culprit for the southern California wildfires… Santa Ana winds. Santa Ana winds are strong winds made up primarily of very dry air. This is the result of high pressure to the north, and low pressure to the south. This causes winds to come from the east, and in southern California that air is moving in from the dry desert. This dry air causes the humidity to drop even more. The winds also tend to increase as the air moves down and around the hills and mountains in the area.