Jennifer Gardiner
ATMO final class project : Wildfires
4/29/18
Humans are ironically bad for the environment, especially when it comes to how many of them cause devastating wildfires. Nearly 90 percent of wildfires in the United States are human caused. There are many ways in which they do something negligent that causes the ground to ignite into a ball of uncontrollable flames. From campfires to burns to discarded cigarettes and arson, all of them can be prevented.
When mother nature is to blame, the devastation can be just the same. But what happens as a result of a fire can prove to be not just eye opening but can lead to anxiety as our climate gets hotter and people don’t pay attention to safety when working around fire. Dry weather and drought change the environment from grassy greens to incredibly dry and brittle conditions. Warm temperatures encourage combustion and with the highly flammable grounds and strong winds, the combination can be deadly.
It can takes a tremendous amount of resources and many agencies to fight wildfires. From state, federal and local fire resources, but also military aircraft and often firefighters from other states, as well as even other countries heed to the call for help. It doesn’t seem to matter where the fires are, people will come from all over the nation to help.
Fall is traditionally the time of year when strong winds come across California, increasing the risk for wildfires and in 2017 it proved to be one of the worst wildfire seasons for the state. With so much of California under fire and weather warnings stretching from Santa Barbara, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties, many of Utah’s fire agencies responded to the call for help. Among the Thirty-two engines that deployed to California, there were 130 personnel from South Jordan, Salt Lake City, Unified Fire Authority, Provo, West Valley, West Jordan, Draper, Pleasant Grove and Uintah City answered California’s request for additional resources to help relieve the burden on local firefighters who were exhausted from continuous operations. The fire outbreak in California has been one of the most destructive the Golden State has ever seen.
Since the start of the fire siege in California on October 8, 2017, California firefighters, with additional crews from 19 other states and one other country, teams responded to 250 wildfires just in California with 21 major wildfires that burned over 300,000 acres. Over 11,000 firefighters battled the destructive fires, forcing the evacuation of 100,000 people and destroyed over 8,300 structures.
The California wildfires have devastated communities, ripped through the heart of cities and towns, destroying everything in its path and, sadly, claiming the lives of 43 people, 41 civilians and two firefighters. This total is more than the previous 10 years death toll combined.
As with so many other wildfires, mother nature can either be a blessing or make matters worse. Relief came for those battling the fires in California when a low pressure system came off the Gulf of Alaska and dropped into the Pacific Northwest. Northern California was able to finally see some cooler air and rain, lowering the fire risk. But in Southern California, where many of Utah’s crews remained, the fire risk increased due to gusty winds and low humidity.
Where does all the flames dissipated into? They funnel up into the air and cause massive issues with pollution and air quality. The frontal winds can carry winds from wildfires thousands of miles. With all the burning, the air quality index in California last year sprung off the charts. Anyone and everyone outside are breathing hazardous smoke and could suffer serious health repercussions.
There is also the monetary aspect of fighting wildfires. The estimated damages put the destruction totals over $180 billion just in 2017 alone with insurance claims and recovery. The federal government spent $2.35 billion on fire suppression in 2017, and with wildfires destroying parts of the American West. The Tubbs Fire broke the record as the most destructive wildfire (causing the most damage) in California’s history and cost $100 million. The Thomas fire in California took nearly ½ Cal Fire’s budget at a gasping $175 million, the Atlas Fire cost $59 million, the Redwood Complex in Mendocino County cost $24 million in suppression costs. In all Cal Fire had a budget of about $450 million but closed out the year at over $700 million in expenditures.
The history of wildfires dates back as far back as the evolution. According to Wikipedia, The first evidence of any wildfire dates back over 400 million years ago. The worst wildfire in U.S. history dates back to 1871 that stretched from Michigan to Wisconsin. It is known as the Great Peshtigo Fire which in one week burned 3.8 million acres and killed over 1,500 people. It used to be that wildfires were not common but many climate scientists who say the effects of global warming is increasing heat waves and drought throughout the Western United States, and the frequency and predictability of wildfires every year is more about when, not if.
Where you live can also have an impact on if you will be affected by a wildfire. Some states just cannot escape the grip of knowing they will have multiple wildfires during their high fire season. Particularly, states located in the West is of great concern due to the drought like conditions that seem to get worse every year.
The number of large wildfires in the U.S seem to also increase in size and severity every year. Climate changes and human activities are considered major contributors to the increase in how often wildfires are occuring. California had so much devastation in 2017, but they were not the only ones. Utah had the Brian Head fire, which was caused by a Taylorsville man who was later charged with reckless burning, which burned 71,000 acres and cost $38 million to fight and spanned over a months time. While the man who started the fire did so by accident, it was his negligence in burning weeds around his property that ultimately caused so much destruction. It was 100% preventable and this man is paying a steep price both criminally and mentally.
In Montana last year, drought conditions proved to be disastrous. In three months they had 21 large fires that burned over 438,000 acres. As fall set in and the temperatures dropped and rain set it, it finally slowed down the fires growth, allowing firefighters to finally get a handle on the blazes.
There is indisputable evidence weather plays a major role in the cradle to grave process of the growth of a wildfire. There is so much drought which causes incredibly unfavorable conditions. Winds also contribute to the rapid growth of a fire’s progress and swiftly travel across thousands of acres in a short amount of time. Weather can also make battling a fire much more difficult. Higher temperatures aid in the sparking of wildfires when the sun beats on a dry ground full of fuels and wood. Hot temperatures force fires to burn faster as well.
Winds affects not only how fast a fire grows but fires create their own wind storm. Fires create fire whirls which are similar to tornadoes. “Vortices” are created by intense heat of the fire. When the vortices move direction from sideways to up and down it creates the fire whirls. It is quite a fascinating phenomenon that can cause mass wind destruction. Wind can also change the direction the fire is heading. It can also cause a backdraft which has killed many firefighters in the past.
A backdraft as defined by the glossary of wildland fire terminology is “Instantaneous explosion or rapid burning of superheated gases that occurs when oxygen is introduced into an oxygen-depleted confined space.” In 2013, 20 Granite Mountain Hotshots, a skilled and professionally trained group of wildland firefighters, became trapped while battling a wildfire that was ignited by lightning. The strong winds and high temperatures mixed with the dry conditions caused the fire to spread rapidly. So rapidly that 19 of the 20 men were unable to escape and lost their lives attempting to run for cover.
There is simply no doubt that wildfires can cause massive destruction across the U.S. and around the world. There is no telling what the future of wildfires will bring but if the future is any indication, I am certain there will be years of death and devastation as a result of wildfires.
ATMO final class project : Wildfires
4/29/18
Humans are ironically bad for the environment, especially when it comes to how many of them cause devastating wildfires. Nearly 90 percent of wildfires in the United States are human caused. There are many ways in which they do something negligent that causes the ground to ignite into a ball of uncontrollable flames. From campfires to burns to discarded cigarettes and arson, all of them can be prevented.
When mother nature is to blame, the devastation can be just the same. But what happens as a result of a fire can prove to be not just eye opening but can lead to anxiety as our climate gets hotter and people don’t pay attention to safety when working around fire. Dry weather and drought change the environment from grassy greens to incredibly dry and brittle conditions. Warm temperatures encourage combustion and with the highly flammable grounds and strong winds, the combination can be deadly.
It can takes a tremendous amount of resources and many agencies to fight wildfires. From state, federal and local fire resources, but also military aircraft and often firefighters from other states, as well as even other countries heed to the call for help. It doesn’t seem to matter where the fires are, people will come from all over the nation to help.
Fall is traditionally the time of year when strong winds come across California, increasing the risk for wildfires and in 2017 it proved to be one of the worst wildfire seasons for the state. With so much of California under fire and weather warnings stretching from Santa Barbara, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties, many of Utah’s fire agencies responded to the call for help. Among the Thirty-two engines that deployed to California, there were 130 personnel from South Jordan, Salt Lake City, Unified Fire Authority, Provo, West Valley, West Jordan, Draper, Pleasant Grove and Uintah City answered California’s request for additional resources to help relieve the burden on local firefighters who were exhausted from continuous operations. The fire outbreak in California has been one of the most destructive the Golden State has ever seen.
Since the start of the fire siege in California on October 8, 2017, California firefighters, with additional crews from 19 other states and one other country, teams responded to 250 wildfires just in California with 21 major wildfires that burned over 300,000 acres. Over 11,000 firefighters battled the destructive fires, forcing the evacuation of 100,000 people and destroyed over 8,300 structures.
The California wildfires have devastated communities, ripped through the heart of cities and towns, destroying everything in its path and, sadly, claiming the lives of 43 people, 41 civilians and two firefighters. This total is more than the previous 10 years death toll combined.
As with so many other wildfires, mother nature can either be a blessing or make matters worse. Relief came for those battling the fires in California when a low pressure system came off the Gulf of Alaska and dropped into the Pacific Northwest. Northern California was able to finally see some cooler air and rain, lowering the fire risk. But in Southern California, where many of Utah’s crews remained, the fire risk increased due to gusty winds and low humidity.
Where does all the flames dissipated into? They funnel up into the air and cause massive issues with pollution and air quality. The frontal winds can carry winds from wildfires thousands of miles. With all the burning, the air quality index in California last year sprung off the charts. Anyone and everyone outside are breathing hazardous smoke and could suffer serious health repercussions.
There is also the monetary aspect of fighting wildfires. The estimated damages put the destruction totals over $180 billion just in 2017 alone with insurance claims and recovery. The federal government spent $2.35 billion on fire suppression in 2017, and with wildfires destroying parts of the American West. The Tubbs Fire broke the record as the most destructive wildfire (causing the most damage) in California’s history and cost $100 million. The Thomas fire in California took nearly ½ Cal Fire’s budget at a gasping $175 million, the Atlas Fire cost $59 million, the Redwood Complex in Mendocino County cost $24 million in suppression costs. In all Cal Fire had a budget of about $450 million but closed out the year at over $700 million in expenditures.
The history of wildfires dates back as far back as the evolution. According to Wikipedia, The first evidence of any wildfire dates back over 400 million years ago. The worst wildfire in U.S. history dates back to 1871 that stretched from Michigan to Wisconsin. It is known as the Great Peshtigo Fire which in one week burned 3.8 million acres and killed over 1,500 people. It used to be that wildfires were not common but many climate scientists who say the effects of global warming is increasing heat waves and drought throughout the Western United States, and the frequency and predictability of wildfires every year is more about when, not if.
Where you live can also have an impact on if you will be affected by a wildfire. Some states just cannot escape the grip of knowing they will have multiple wildfires during their high fire season. Particularly, states located in the West is of great concern due to the drought like conditions that seem to get worse every year.
The number of large wildfires in the U.S seem to also increase in size and severity every year. Climate changes and human activities are considered major contributors to the increase in how often wildfires are occuring. California had so much devastation in 2017, but they were not the only ones. Utah had the Brian Head fire, which was caused by a Taylorsville man who was later charged with reckless burning, which burned 71,000 acres and cost $38 million to fight and spanned over a months time. While the man who started the fire did so by accident, it was his negligence in burning weeds around his property that ultimately caused so much destruction. It was 100% preventable and this man is paying a steep price both criminally and mentally.
In Montana last year, drought conditions proved to be disastrous. In three months they had 21 large fires that burned over 438,000 acres. As fall set in and the temperatures dropped and rain set it, it finally slowed down the fires growth, allowing firefighters to finally get a handle on the blazes.
There is indisputable evidence weather plays a major role in the cradle to grave process of the growth of a wildfire. There is so much drought which causes incredibly unfavorable conditions. Winds also contribute to the rapid growth of a fire’s progress and swiftly travel across thousands of acres in a short amount of time. Weather can also make battling a fire much more difficult. Higher temperatures aid in the sparking of wildfires when the sun beats on a dry ground full of fuels and wood. Hot temperatures force fires to burn faster as well.
Winds affects not only how fast a fire grows but fires create their own wind storm. Fires create fire whirls which are similar to tornadoes. “Vortices” are created by intense heat of the fire. When the vortices move direction from sideways to up and down it creates the fire whirls. It is quite a fascinating phenomenon that can cause mass wind destruction. Wind can also change the direction the fire is heading. It can also cause a backdraft which has killed many firefighters in the past.
A backdraft as defined by the glossary of wildland fire terminology is “Instantaneous explosion or rapid burning of superheated gases that occurs when oxygen is introduced into an oxygen-depleted confined space.” In 2013, 20 Granite Mountain Hotshots, a skilled and professionally trained group of wildland firefighters, became trapped while battling a wildfire that was ignited by lightning. The strong winds and high temperatures mixed with the dry conditions caused the fire to spread rapidly. So rapidly that 19 of the 20 men were unable to escape and lost their lives attempting to run for cover.
There is simply no doubt that wildfires can cause massive destruction across the U.S. and around the world. There is no telling what the future of wildfires will bring but if the future is any indication, I am certain there will be years of death and devastation as a result of wildfires.