What Really Causes Devastating Wildfires

November 2018 has seen some very troubling times across the State of California. With cities and towns being completely destroyed, thousands of people finding themselves displaced, and loads of work left to do to get things under control, history has seen few worse natural disasters anywhere in the world. Despite the size and scale of California’s wildfire situation, there seems to be a lot of disparity between the ideas which people for it all kicking off. To help you to get a better understanding of what truly causes this devastation, this post will be exploring some of the most common reasons for a wildfire to get started.

silhouette of trees>
</p>
<p>
	 (Image Source)
</p>
<p>
	 While California has wildfires throughout the entire year, November 2018 has seen the worst for a very long time. Camp Fire is the biggest of all of the recent disasters, and no one can seem to agree on what might have started it, causing huge arguments across the internet. Currently, more than 80 people have been killed by this fire, destroying around 17,000 buildings, and covering upwards of 150,000 acres of land in its wake. The clean up after this event is going to take a huge amount of time and money. Of course, though, as long as Cali can prove the right information, they will get a lot of help from the Federal Government.
</p>
<p>
	 The Current Position
</p>
<p>
	 Currently, though, it doesn’t appear as if they White House is going to change its stance on this year’s wildfires. Even as early as the first blazes kicking off, President Trump was eager to blame the State’s forest management for the destruction being caused. While this is somewhat accurate, it doesn’t take into account the full picture, and this has left his opponents reeling to find counter arguments which can raise their own status. Most hope of a reasonable political response has gone out of the window since media companies got involved. With these organisations controlling so much of the Nation’s minds, trying to beat them is near impossible.
</p>
<p>
	 Of course, once the blame-game has begun, there really is no reason to stop it, and this is the next part of this event which is being influenced by the media. Blaming environmental activists for stopping tree thinning efforts which could have prevented such widespread damage, several high-profile US politicians have started on a warpath towards the left. While it’s a great chance for these people to wipe out their competition, it’s crucial that people continue to work for actual answers, as preventing this sort of issue in the future will only be possible if the common causes of wildfires are more widely recognised.
</p>
<p>
	 The Actual Situation
</p>
<p>
	 There are five major fires which are still active in California. While the true dangers have started to pass, these infernos still pose a threat, and can be seen as evidence that more than just poor management is to blame for their creation. This has left thousands of people displaced or without homes entirely, and there are still thousands of people missing. Below, you can find some examples of the most common arguments from Trump’s opposition, along with the thoughts of and concerns of scientists who have begun studying these fires.
</p>
<ul>
	<li>Drought: California has gone for the better part of a year without any rain to speak of. This means that the entire state is in an extreme drought, relying on water from their large reserves and other places to keep everyone alive. This lack of rain isn’t exactly out of character for this part of the world, though it doesn’t usually get quite so bad, especially when it comes to the length aspect of it all. It’s practically impossible to argue that dry organic materials don’t make good kindling, and Cali has plenty of the stuff.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li>Hotter Weather: This year has seen extremely warm weather across the globe, with almost everywhere reporting record breaking summers and sunny spells continuing into autumn. Adding to the dryness, this heat is one of the key elements in these wildfire events. Even just the fact that this sort of weather will make the ground, trees, and other woodland features a lot hotter, increasing their chances of catching alight when they are exposed to naked flames.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li>Faulty Industrial Gear: While nothing has been confirmed, the start of the largest of this year’s fires, Camp Fire, is widely being blamed on an industrial energy company failing to maintain their equipment. Local residents reported seeing sparking coming from rural power lines in the hours before the fire started to burn. This may not be concrete, but it does start to put some of the pieces together, especially when you consider that the lines themselves were above areas of dry scrub and bushes.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li>Wind & Air: As another element of this year’s weird weather, California has been quite a windy place, recently. Wind gives fire more fuel, changes its direction, and causes it to spread much further than it would on a still day. Along with this, though, firefighters are also contending with very low humidity. Without moisture in the air, it’s much easier for the fires to spread without being slowed down. Of course, though, better forest management wouldn’t do much to change this.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	 Other Causes Of Wildfires
</p>
<p>
	 There are loads of wildfires each year which are nowhere near as devastating as the recent examples found in California. In a lot of cases, these are caused by humans, and will be nice and easy for fire teams to contain. Of course, though, even when they aren’t a big threat, it’s still important to learn about this sort of natural issue, as they can kill a lot of people, and will leave entire towns destroyed. Below, you can find some examples of common causes of wildfires, along with some tips to help you to do your part when it comes to avoiding them going into the future. This is worth it for anyone in dry places.
</p>
<ul>
	<li>Smoking: For a lot of people, enjoying a cigarette on the road isn’t exactly a new thing, and is something they will do all the time. With this regularity, you will often find that people simply flick away the end of this treat while they are driving. Without the ability to put it out, you may as well be throwing a lit match out of the window, especially during a drought. Fines, new laws, and strict regulation don’t seem to be able to stop this sort of activity, even in places which have seen this devastation in the past.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li>Campfires: There are loads of places throughout California’s extensive network of national parks which give you the chance to safely light a fire. Of course, though, some people don’t like to follow the rules, and will often go ahead and make campfires wherever they want to. This is all well and good when you’re around the manage your little blaze, but becomes a real issue when people leave their fires unattended. When something like this is built poorly, it will be easy for flames to escape.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li>Arson: It would be wrong to pin the blame of the current fires on criminals, though there has been talk of arson being involved. Regardless, this is still one of the more common causes of this sort of disaster, with people lighting uncontrolled fires and leaving them when they get out of control. When something like this is done in a very rural place, it’s almost impossible for experts to spot until the time to take proper action has passed. This makes it a concern for fire rescue teams everywhere.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	 Avoiding The Devastation
</p>
<p>
	 Even if you blame the current wildfires squarely on climate change, it’s easy to see that there is a lot which can be done to avoid issues like this in the future. Butte County Fire Department, for example, has started to work on new emergency procedures to follow when an event like this takes place. This will serve to make it much easier to keep blazes under control going into the future, while also improving people’s chances of survival. Of course, though, it’s also worth thinking about the world, and what can be done in this area to make sure that problems like this don’t keep occuring as time goes on.
</p>
<p>
	 Climate change is widely disputed, but can easily be measured with the right information. In reality, the biggest argument here is whether or not humans are causing this sort of fluctuation, with resource usage and chemical emissions being proven to damage the atmosphere. Whether you believe it or not, it doesn’t hurt to change the parts of your life which used resources the most. For example, walking short distances instead of driving them will lower your fuel consumption by a huge degree, lowering your personal environmental footprint, while also giving you the chance to get a little fitter.
</p>
<p>
	 <img alt=

(Image Credit)

With all of this in mind, it should be far easier for you to see what may have caused the recent wildfires which California has been suffering with. This has long been a problem in this sort of area, but is often something which can be avoided, making it worth learning about them further if you live somewhere with this potential.