Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/Rex/Shutterstock The Caldor fire is just one of a dozen large wildfires raging across California. The Dixie fire, which has burned more than 1,130 sq miles in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades, by Monday evening was 40% contained. The Caldor fire is just one of a dozen large wildfires raging across California with months left before winter rains are expected to bring relief. Extreme heatwaves that set records through the region this summer have intensified the conditions and set the stage for the big blazes now burning. Nearly half of the contiguous US is mired in drought and more than 88% of California is classified in extreme drought by the US Drought Monitor. “Every year we need to be ready for this type of activity.” He noted that this year California has seen nearly three times the amount of average over the five-year average.įueled by parched vegetation and hot, dry conditions, the fires’ intensity is directly attributable to climate change. “These are our days,” Porter said, a nod to the annual emergencies fires inflict on areas across the west. Porter noted the need to give firefighters breaks and time to reset, before they “continue the fight into the deep fall”. “They are going to continue to grow and get bigger,” Porter said, calling the siege a marathon.Ġ4:35 The climate science behind wildfires: why are they getting worse? – video explainerĬalifornia is only halfway through what’s typically considered fire season, a period that is encroaching on months once considered safe. Still, Porter cautioned, for the fires already burning, big battles lay ahead. Throughout the state, mild temperatures have lowered the risk of new ignitions. Low to moderate fire weather farther south assured officials that it was safe to deploy more resources to the fires in the north. Weather conditions, however, were offering good news, Porter said. The fire is also hugging Highway 50, now closed in both directions, cutting off a primary thoroughfare between South Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. The air quality remained hazardous throughout the region on Tuesday, extending into the Sacramento area, with the Tahoe area measuring above 300 on the Air Quality Index. Smoke on Monday forced the closure of public schools in parts of the Lake Tahoe area and across the state border with Nevada in the Reno and Sparks area. The US Forest Service closed nine national forests in northern California over the weekend, and they will be shuttered through Labor Day. The fire and the hazardous air quality it has produced have also put pressure on Tahoe’s tourism industry, which fuels local economies. Smoke from the Caldor fire hovers over Caples Lake in Kirkwood, California.
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