With the forecasts for this weekend I suspect there will lots more news of this sort to come. I can’t keep up.
Heat-Stoked Wildfires Erupt Across US West — Out of Control Blaze Rages Near Oil Processing Facility
16
June, 2016
A
potential record southwestern heatwave is building —
predicted to hit peak intensity by the middle of next week. But,
already, higher than normal temperatures and strong southerly winds
are lighting off severe wildfires throughout the drought-stricken US
West.
Fires
Prompt Evacuations, Declarations of Emergency Across US Southwest
In
Central New Mexico, a three acre fire exploded to three square miles
in size Wednesday — prompting the governor to declare a state of
emergency and spurring evacuations in the mountains southeast of
Albequeque.
Belching out a mountainous plume of smoke, the fire had forced 50
people to flee from their homes by late Wednesday. By
10 AM Thursday, the fire had again ballooned — this time expanding
to 19 square miles in an outward rush that consumed an unconfirmed
number of structures.
(A
crown fire southeast of Albuquerque forces the residents of 50 homes
to flee as the governor of New Mexico declared a state of emergency
Wednesday. Satellite image source:LANCE
MODIS.)
In
eastern Arizona, a
small town was evacuated and residents of five more were given orders
to prepare to leave as the Cedar Creek Fire devoured 4 square miles
Wednesday evening.
The fire continued to grow throughout the night and by Thursday
morning had expanded to cover fully 8.5 square miles. Firefighters
are now struggling to contain the blaze but hot weather and 30 mile
per hour winds predicted Thursday present serious challenges.
Homes
in Utah were also blanketed by smoke and haze as fires threatened. In
Iron county, 40 mile per hour winds stoked yet another explosive
blaze,
cutting off Bumblebee Road and forcing 20 residences to be evacuated.
As of last report, the fire was 400 acres in size, but this is likely
to be a low estimate as 80 firefighters are now attempting to contain
the blaze.
Southwest
Drought Fuels Wildfire Near Santa Barbara Oil Refinery
It’s
a rash of wildfires fueled by above normal temperatures and an
endemic and steadily worsening drying of the region. Ongoing
conditions related to human-caused climate change. And California has
seen the worst of it. There, extreme drought has now lasted for three
years. And in all of the past nine years, California has only seen
two non-drought years.
(Dry
US West. Dry conditions expanded to cover much of the US West this
week ahead of a powerful and potentially record heatwave. Coincident
with human-forced warming, an expansion of drought is expected in the
US West. A condition that has born out in the form of worsening
drying conditions for this region of the US over the past 2-3
decades. Image source: US
Drought Monitor.)
In
the south, near Santa Barbara, rainfall totals again fell short of
average this Winter. Another dry season in a very dry decade that has
provided ample bone-dry vegetation as fuel for wildfires.
By
late Wednesday, these dry, warm conditions combined with strong
sundowner winds to stoke fire dangers near the city. At that time, a
300 acre blaze burning near an oil facility exploded to cover about 2
miles of ground. By early Thursday, the
huge blaze was raging out of control along a ridge near an
Exxon-Mobile oil processing station.
Hundreds
of campers were evacuated from the burning ridge as firefighters
rushed in. The oil facility has now been emptied of non-essential
personnel and more than 500 firefighters are attempting to erect a
defensive line in order to contain the blaze. Currently, there
appears to be no severe threat the fire will ignite fuels within the
Exxon facility. But 40 mile per hour winds are predicted for later
today and the nearby fire could be poised for more explosive growth.
(Fire
rages near Exxon Mobile oil processing facility in Santa Barbara,
California on Wednesday. Firefighters had a brief respite as winds
died down Thursday morning. However, fire conditions are expected to
rapidly worsen by Thursday afternoon with the return of strong
sundowner winds. Image source: Pete Demetrio.)
Dangerous
Infrastructure — Oil Facilities Vulnerable to the Fires of Climate
Change
This
is the second time that a large oil facility has been threatened this
year by a wildfire. In Canada, the Fort McMurray Fire forced the
evacuation and shut down of large tar sands production facilities as
barracks for oil workers succumbed to that massive blaze.
Human
caused climate change is increasing instances of wildfires around the
world through
the combined forces of increased drought, rising temperatures, and
more intense rates of evaporation. And in what could well be called
an ironic twist of fate, the very fossil fuel infrastructure that is
causing the warming is also quite vulnerable to the fires it has
helped to light off.
If
we were to use a metaphor, we could compare it to playing with
fireworks on a 100+ degree (F) Fourth of July day in a big puddle of
gasoline. In other words, this is the very definition of
irresponsible. And the potential for tragedy here is enormous. Fossil
fuel facilities contain massive amounts of volatile explosive
compounds. Explosions at refineries due to accidents are among the
most powerful manmade (if unintended) violent outbursts on Earth. And
the very use and production of that fuel makes it more and more
likely that a wildfire will set off a very real manmade firestorm at
one of these many massive facilities.
(US
fire danger map shows high to extreme potentials for wildfires across
large sections of the country. Fire risk is likely to intensify over
the coming week as a record heatwave is predicted to build across the
country. Today’s outbreak, therefore, may just be the start. Image
source: US
Fire Service.)
It’s
just one more example of how dangerous and irresponsible the global
fossil fuel industry has become. And in this instance they are
increasing risks to life and property not just to those who live
anywhere near an oil or gas facility — but for anyone living pretty
much anywhere at all. In other words, the fires are getting worse
because we are burning fossil fuels. And the very fossil fuel
facilities that are causing this problem are threatened.
Links:
Hat
Tip to DT Lange
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