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LIVE: California Fires in Napa, Sonoma & Santa Rosa - LIVE BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE
Firestorm: 1,500 Structures Destroyed as Massive Wildfires Blaze Through Northern California
9
October, 2017
Heat
and drought and fire. A common litany these days for California — a
state that has, year after year, been wracked by a series
of unprecedented
climate extremes.
After
a brief respite this winter, northern parts of a state reeling from
woes related to human-caused climate change again settled into
drought this summer. Having received near record amounts of rain
during winter — enough
to wreck the spillway at the Lake Oroville Dam —
vegetation sprang anew. This rain-spurred growth then subsequently
dried — developing widespread fuels for fires.
(Northern
California near Santa Rosa saw humidity drop to as low as 10-12
percent even as strong winds raged through the region. Such dry,
windy condition are key ingredients for increasing fire hazard.
Widely available fuels from the abnormally wet winter carried over
into a drier than normal summer to increase fire risks. Image
source: Earth
Nullschool.)
These
are exactly the kinds of extreme conditions climate scientists warned
about as a result of human-forced warming.
And the impacts for Northern California over the past 24 hours have
been terrible.
Yesterday
evening, a frontal system brought with it gusts approaching hurricane
force to the region. The winds — warm and dry — raked over the
lands and forests. Red flag warnings were posted. For even the
smallest spark could spur a very dangerous fire under such dry,
windy, and warm conditions.
Multiple
fires, source presently unknown, subsequently erupted. The fires
rapidly grew — raging across the hills and valleys near Santa Rosa.
Embers caught up in the gusts traveled for miles. Where-ever they
landed, tinder-dry fuels ignited.
over last 8 hours (credit:
1:14 AM - 10 Oct 2017
Thousands
were forced to flee in the middle of the night late Sunday and early
Monday morning as the rapidly growing fires encroached on
neighborhoods, towns and cities. Many had no time to gather
belongings as pristine lands exploded into hellish flares. So
far, 1,500 homes and commercial buildings are counted among the lost
even as a number of people have gone missing.
Entire subdivisions and wineries went up in flames. Two hospitals
were forced to evacuate. Cell phone coverage to the region was cut
off.
Today,
the fires still rage as weaker winds provide some hope that an army
of scrambling firefighters can start to get a hold on the firestorm.
What is known is that this particular event is one
of the worst wildfire disasters in California state history.
In
this context, we should be very clear that human carelessness often
provides the ignition sources for fires in areas like Northern
California. However, without the underlying severe climate
conditions, such fires would not have become so large or spread so
fast.
RELATED
STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION:
#Santarosafire occurred following abnormal wet winter growth leading into drier than normal summer. Extremes consistent with #climatechange.
Hat
tip to Genomi
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