(TargetLiberty.org) – California is on course for its worst-ever wildfire season, as the largest single-blaze fire in the state’s history sweeps towards thousands of threatened homes. Huge areas of northern California are in danger, smoke plumes are wrecking air quality in neighboring states – and conditions are perfect for even more fires.
The Dixie Fire in Northern California now becomes the largest single wildlife recorded in California history, covering 433,000 acres. pic.twitter.com/WxlOH3N4m6
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) August 7, 2021
On August 8, Cal Fire warned that the Dixie Fire – now being reported as the largest single fire in California’s history – is only 21% contained and could destroy thousands more homes. The town of Greenville, in Plumas County, CA, has been almost completely destroyed, and residents in large parts of Colorado and Utah have seen air quality plummet as smoke from California drifts across their states. Now, the National Interagency Fire Center is warning that there’s high potential for even more fires, thanks to dry weather and lightning activity.
As well as the weather, decades of poor management have turned California’s forests into an arsonist’s dream. Dead trees and undergrowth have been allowed to accumulate, which both increases the risk of a fire – the Dixie Fire may have started when a dead tree fell on a power line – and provides a vast supply of fuel once one starts. California’s struggling Governor Gavin Newsom belatedly recognized this in January, when he released a new forestry strategy. However, the damage has been done: California faces many years of enhanced fire risks before the neglect can be fixed.
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