1,000+ American Brewers Brew Special Beer to Raise Funds for Camp Fire Recovery
30 November 2018
Popular
This special beer will raise funds for Camp Fire survivors. Sierra Nevada
The devastating Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, killing at least 88, with 196 still missing, according to the most recent figures reported by USA Today Thursday.
<p>And life isn't getting any easier for the survivors. Heavy downpours Thursday damaged the tents and possessions and threatened the health of more than 100 evacuees camping out in the area, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/camp-fire-evacuees-rainstorm_us_5c0069fce4b0b69ed3796df1" target="_blank">The Huffington Post reported</a>.</p><p>Now, it looks like help is on the way from an unlikely source: America's beer industry. More than 1,000 breweries have signed on to brew a special beer to raise funds for the survivors of the fire, which burned more than 153,000 acres, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/29/us/camp-fire-resilience-beer-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported Friday</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f81eb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="TNV7UP1576662596"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1068295585386700802" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">.@SierraNevada brought together over 1,000 breweries across the US to brew Resilience IPA to support the Sierra Nev… https://t.co/tRZlISYTE4</div> — Guinness US (@Guinness US)<a href="https://twitter.com/GuinnessUS/statuses/1068295585386700802">1543536490.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The <a href="https://www.sierranevada.com/resilience-butte-county-proud-ipa" target="_blank">Resilience Butte County Proud IPA</a> is the creation of the <a href="https://www.sierranevada.com/" target="_blank">Sierra Nevada Brewing Company</a>. The company is based in Chico, west of the town of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paradise" target="_self">Paradise</a> that was destroyed in the early days of the fire. Flames got so close that the company actually had to close its Chico brewery for a few days in mid November.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3324a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7OPXUM1576662596"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060936803585155072" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The Chico brewery is closed until further notice. Our Chico brewery is very close to the… https://t.co/010TKcEH8L</div> — Sierra Nevada Beer (@Sierra Nevada Beer)<a href="https://twitter.com/SierraNevada/statuses/1060936803585155072">1541782019.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The company quickly moved to give back to its community, establishing a <a href="https://www.sierranevada.com/camp-fire-relief-fund" target="_blank">Camp Fire Relief Fund</a> Nov. 13 seeded with an initial $100,000 from the brewery.<br></p><p>"We appreciate the tremendous amount of support and compassion shown from folks around the world. With the brave men and women risking their lives fighting this fire and the outpouring of support from communities near and far, we know we are on a path to healing and rebuilding," Sierra-Nevada founding family Ken, Sierra and Brian Grossman <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sierranevadabeer/posts/10158076321097516" target="_blank">wrote in a Facebook message</a> announcing the fund.</p><p>The brewery then moved from a local to a national fundraising effort with the creation of its Resilience IPA, which it began brewing on Giving Tuesday, inviting Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea to help out.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="4bb42" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="X7G7M51576662596"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1067570212445122560" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Thank you @ButteSheriff @KoryHonea for helping us brew Resilience Butte County Proud IPA today. And thank you to th… https://t.co/RTf93JtpsA</div> — Sierra Nevada Beer (@Sierra Nevada Beer)<a href="https://twitter.com/SierraNevada/statuses/1067570212445122560">1543363547.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The company invited breweries around the country to participate, and the response has been enthusiastic so far. Within two days, more than a thousand breweries answered the call, sharing their support on social media.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="15c9b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4M67CH1576662596"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1067492944037494784" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Firefighter, Lt. Bryan Knox, is helping us brew Resilience Butte County Proud IPA in collaboration with… https://t.co/gFLpb2y6o9</div> — Uncle Billy's (@Uncle Billy's)<a href="https://twitter.com/UncleBillys/statuses/1067492944037494784">1543345125.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>"Our hope is to get Resilience IPA in taprooms all over the country to create a solid start for our community's future," founder Ken Grossman said in a statement reported by CNN.<br></p><p>Brewers aim to have the beer available for sale by Dec. 17. One-hundred percent of proceeds will be donated to Camp Fire relief efforts.</p><p>"We are working with malt, hop and yeast suppliers to provide raw ingredient donations to all participating breweries and are asking those breweries to donate 100 percent of their sales to the fund, as well," Sierra Nevada said in a post reported by CNN.</p>
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Map of damage to the town of Paradise from the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history. NASA / JPL-Caltech
Northern California, which is already reeling from the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, is now bracing for heavy rainfall this week.
The forecasted rain could bring much-needed relief for the firefighters battling the Camp Fire in Butte County. However, it could also bring new hazards due to possible ash, mud and debris flows triggered by the rain.
<p>
The Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paradise" target="_self">Paradise</a>, has burned more than 150,000 acres and killed 79 people, according to <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2277" target="_blank">Cal Fire</a>. Nearly 1,000 people remain missing, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-wildfire/incoming-rain-could-hinder-search-for-california-wildfire-victims-idUSKCN1NO0XD" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported.
</p><p>
Up to 4 inches of rain this week could help beat back the inferno, which is currently 70 percent contained. But the weather forecast has brought extra stress to wildfire-weary residents.
</p><p>
Some evacuees are camping out in tents or their cars. Cady Machado told
<a href="https://fox40.com/2018/11/18/makeshift-camp-at-chico-walmart-dismantled-ahead-of-rain/" target="_blank">KTXL-TV</a> she is staying in a tent at a Walmart parking lot with her husband and baby. With the incoming rain, Machado said she will send her child to her sister's home in Arizona.
</p><p>
She and her husband, however, have other plans. "There's a nice bridge with my name on it to go underneath where I won't get flooded out with my husband," she said.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="9bede" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="13ROUV1576662633"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1064706320178270210" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Flash Flood Watch for the burn scars is in effect Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning. A Winter Storm Watch… https://t.co/bS3RTNzhbh</div> — NWS Sacramento (@NWS Sacramento)<a href="https://twitter.com/NWSSacramento/statuses/1064706320178270210">1542680742.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The National Weather Service has
<a href="https://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=b73ff69fd2c956bb&hl=en&gl=US&source=web" target="_blank">issued</a> a flash flood watch from Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning for the Camp Fire, the Carr, Delta and Hirz wildfires in Shasta County and the Mendocino Complex in Lake County burn areas in Northern California.
</p><p>
"Properties impacted by the wildfires, and downstream of those areas, are at risk for flash flooding, mudflows and debris flows during periods of intense rainfall," <a href="http://www.buttecounty.net/News-Announcements/ArtMID/3464/ArticleID/1283/Multiple-Agencies-Act-to-Prepare-for-Potential-Post-Fire-Floods-and-Debris-Flows" target="_blank">Butte County</a> announced Monday. "Wildfires can alter the terrain and soil conditions reducing the capacity for the ground to absorb water creating conditions for these type of hazards. In addition, creeks and streams within burned watersheds have elevated risk of flooding, mud, and debris flows due to increased rain runoff and potential for sediment to fill channels and block culverts."
</p><p>
Multiple state, regional and local agencies are preparing for the potential impacts of storm weather. "The mutual goal of this effort is to protect human life and critical infrastructure (bridges, roads, culverts, and flood protection facilities), wildlife and the natural environment including streams and waterways," the county said.
</p><p>
Last year,
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/20/us/california-mudslide-death-toll/index.html" target="_blank">at least 21 people</a> were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-mudslides-2018-2524225464.html">during a mudslide that followed</a> the massive <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-wildfires-2017-2518400667.html" target="_self">Thomas Fire</a> in Southern California.
</p><p>
The flames not only scorched away grass, shrubs and other vegetation that hold soil in place, but they also baked a waxy layer into the earth that prevented the rains from being absorbed into the ground,
<a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-california-mudslides/california-mudslide-death-toll-up-to-15-as-rescues-continue-idUKKBN1EZ0YS" target="_blank">Reuters</a> explained then.
</p><p>
<span></span>Relief organizations such as Red Cross have opened additional shelters for people and pets in preparation for the inclement weather in Northern California, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/20/weather/california-fires-tuesday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.
</p><p>
"We want to make sure those people who are staying in tents know that these spaces are available for them so they can get out of the elements," said Shawn Boyd with California's Office of Emergency Services.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f87a8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZLKP151576662633"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1064412755418062849" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Dozens of people are dead, hundreds more missing and entire communities have been destroyed. #California #Wildfires… https://t.co/1KQZbn7538</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1064412755418062849">1542610751.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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The most notable observation from the count was DeMartino's sighting of the golden crowned kinglet, but in general volunteers found the same species they normally do. (Photo above is of a golden crowned kinglet, but not the one DeMartino spotted.) Melissa McMasters
By Matt Blois
A neighbor knocked on Rick Burgess's door at about 9:30 p.m. to tell him a fire was coming towards his home in Ventura, California. When he looked outside he saw a column of smoke, and the hills were already starting to turn orange. He loaded up his truck with a collection of native plants he was using to write a countywide plant guide, and barely had enough time to get out.
<p style=""><span></span>"Shortly thereafter the lights went out," he said. "Then the engine came around and on the loud speaker said you must evacuate."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzA5MTg3OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDI5NDE3OX0.UW8IP_SE4FqtJedlNhDJkfIVgso0rvS5mFyK4rUWw1E/img.jpg?width=980" id="09aa3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ec29e85ea161faa75a03be1369845efa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Frank DeMartino—who runs a shop in Ventura that sells bird feeders and birdseed—has organized the last three counts in Ventura. He started the 2017 Christmas Bird Count in Ventura harbor.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Matt Blois</small></p>
<p style="">Burgess and his wife drove to a friend's house in a different part of town. The first night, they just wanted to know that their home was safe, and thankfully it was. The Thomas Fire burned many of their neighbors' homes that night, but their cul-de-sac was spared. Burgess spent the two weeks following the fire living at a friend's house, organizing the northern sector of Ventura's annual Christmas Bird Count.<br></p><p style="">The count in Ventura was originally scheduled for Dec. 17, 2017 but the Thomas Fire—now the largest ever recorded in California—burned more than half of the survey area, and organizers had to postpone it until Dec. 30, 2017 because they couldn't get to many of the those areas.</p><p style="">For the first few weeks of December, smoke filled the Ojai Valley where Burgess leads a count, and fire crews had taken over the Lake Casitas Campground where groups normally search for birds by boat. Even weeks after the worst of the fire had passed, the city of Ventura wouldn't let the birders into several parks damaged by the fire. While the fire made it difficult to organize the count, surveying birds immediately after the fire also presented a unique opportunity.</p><p style="">With nearly four decades of Christmas Bird Count data from Ventura, scientists will be able to compare this year's observations with historical data to understand how birds respond to fire. While the fire was devastating for the people who lost their homes, many species of wildlife in Southern California are adapted to live with fire and in some cases take advantage of it. For scientists, it can be difficult to find funding for research immediately following a fire, but citizen scientists like the volunteers at the Christmas Bird Count can fill that gap.</p><p style="">Every year since 1900 bird lovers across the U.S. have ventured out into their communities around Christmas to count birds, reporting their observations to the Audubon Society so that scientists can use the data. Birdwatchers in Ventura started collecting data in 1980.</p><p style="">This year, Frank DeMartino—who has organized the last three counts in Ventura—started at the Ventura harbor. DeMartino runs a shop in Ventura that sells bird feeders and birdseed. About 10 others showed up to help count. </p><p style="">The Thomas Fire was still burning in parts of the Los Padres National Forest on the count day, but near the beach there were few obvious signs of it. Instead of looking for clues about the fire in burn areas, DeMartino looked for birds.</p><p style="">He spotted a small, grey bird flitting through the branches of a tree near a freshwater pond. It had a dark black eyebrow and a yellow stripe on top of its head. Much to his delight, it was a species he had only seen once before, a golden crowned kinglet. "These birds are usually in the mountains," DeMartino said. "You can draw whatever conclusions you like from that."</p>
<p style="">While it's hard to find a pattern in one unusual bird, DeMartino said it's possible that some of the species that normally live in the hills above Ventura have temporarily moved to the unburned areas in town. He made a special effort this year to get more people to count birds in their backyards because he suspected that's where many displaced birds might have gone.<br></p><p style="">Mark Mendelsohn, a biologist for Mountains Restoration Trust who works closely with the National Parks Service in Southern California, said birds likely did flee to urban areas or islands of vegetation within the burn. "Obviously, the ones that can will often fly away," he said. "Wildlife—including birds—kind of hunker down or take refuge in those unburned areas." He said fires don't generally kill birds directly because they can usually escape the flames. It's when the birds start returning to burned areas that fires really start to affect them.</p><p>Mendelsohn had published a study in the journal <a href="http://fireecologyjournal.org/journal/abstract/?abstract=51" target="_blank">Fire Ecology</a> in 2008 showing that changes in vegetation following a fire can affect which species inhabit a burn area. The study found that for several sites near San Diego the diversity of bird species stayed about the same following a large fire, and in one area diversity actually increased. However, the fires did reduce shrub and tree cover in two types of shrub habitat, opening up a landscape that was previously covered with vegetation.</p><p style="">Birds that prefer areas with lots of vegetative cover—such as wrentits and spotted towhees—started to disappear from areas of burned coastal sage scrub. Meanwhile, birds like lazuli buntings, which prefer open areas, started to show up in areas of burned chaparral that normally have lots of vegetative cover.</p><p style="">However, getting this kind of information immediately following a fire can be difficult, Mendelsohn's study, for instance, used bird survey data collected before the fires, but the researchers didn't survey birds again until about 18 months after the fire.</p><p>Marti Witter, a fire scientist with the National Parks Service in Southern California, said it's hard for scientists to start a study right after a fire because they can't plan for it ahead of time. When they start a new project, scientists normally need to apply for grants and design experiments. By they time the study starts, much of the interesting data has already come and gone.</p><p>"Some of the best studies have data starting a year after, a year and a half after," she said. "People are not going out and doing surveys immediately post fire … You're missing the manpower and research infrastructure to go out and do it in those first few months."</p><p>Witter said that's where citizen scientists, like the birders from the Christmas Bird Count, can step in. Citizen scientists don't need to wait for grants, they can start studying the effects of fire as soon as it's safe. </p><p>At the end of the Christmas Bird Count in Ventura, all the birders gathered at a church near the edge of the burn area. Everyone brought some food, and there were ice chests with beer and wine. Volunteers sat around folding tables telling war stories while they ate dinner. Eventually, Frank DeMartino called for everyone's attention towards the front of the room. He started reading off the names of all the bird species in the county. Participants shouted out if they had seen the bird that day, and DeMartino checked off the species they found. He tallied 172 species, more than many were expecting given the low turnout after the fire.</p><p>In many ways it wasn't that different from any other year. The most notable observation was DeMartino's sighting of the golden crowned kinglet, but in general volunteers found the same species they normally do.</p><p style="">While the Thomas fire destroyed hundreds of homes, and killed a firefighter, most of the birds had apparently kept on living. They flew out of harm's way into unburned patches of forest or into backyards in Ventura County. As the vegetation starts to regenerate, they'll slowly return to the hills they normally inhabit where another group of birders will find them in a future Christmas Bird Count.</p><p style=""> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/birders_get_a_first_look_at_how_2017_california_wildfires_affected_wildlife/" target="_blank">Earth Island Journal</a>.</em></p>
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Editor's Note: As of 7:30 am EST Thursday the California mudslides death toll has risen to 17. Southern California, which just endured the largest wildfire in state history, is being bombarded by flooding and destructive mudslides triggered by torrential downpours.
The "waist-high" mud destroyed homes, uprooted trees and washed away dozens of cars in Santa Barbara County, CNN reported.
<p>
Thousands of Californians who were already forced to flee their homes due to last month's horrific wildfires were also ordered to evacuate over threat of mudslides.
</p><p>
At least 15 people were killed and more than two dozen were injured as of Wednesday, according to the
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/us/montecito-mudslides-california.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>. Another two dozen people are missing.
</p><p>
"We don't know how many additional people are still trapped," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown
<a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-california-mudslides/california-mudslide-death-toll-up-to-15-as-rescues-continue-idUKKBN1EZ0YS" target="_blank">said</a> on CBS This Morning. "We know there are some, and we're still making our way into certain areas of Montecito and the adjacent areas to determine if anyone is still there and still alive."
</p><p>
Emergency helicopters airlifted about 50 people to safety on Tuesday,
<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/10/us/california-mudslides-devastation/index.html" target="_blank">according</a> to Kevin Taylor of the Montecito Fire Department. The video below shows rescuers helping a driver whose car was swept away by the mud.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e90af" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1P52P71576662940"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="950856374639980544" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Victim who was swept away in their vehicle was located by the crew of AirSquad6. Victim was hoisted and flown to aw… https://t.co/lcel789sYL</div> — VenturaCoAirUnit (@VenturaCoAirUnit)<a href="https://twitter.com/VCAirUnit/statuses/950856374639980544">1515536800.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
As the Times pointed out, the devastation is "not a coincidence but a direct result of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/california-wildfires" target="_blank">charred lands</a>, left vulnerable to quickly forming mudslides."
</p><p>
The December wildfires not only scorched away grass, shrubs and other vegetation that hold soil in place, but they also baked a waxy layer into the Earth that prevented the rains from being absorbed into the ground, <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-california-mudslides/california-mudslide-death-toll-up-to-15-as-rescues-continue-idUKKBN1EZ0YS" target="_blank">Reuters</a> explained.
</p><p>
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the Thomas Fire and Whittier Fire burn areas along the Santa Barbara County south coast.
</p><p>
"This means that flooding and debris flows are imminent or occurring in these areas," Santa Barbara County officials <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BdudnUkHUe2/?taken-by=countyofsb" target="_blank">announced</a>. "Avoid riverbeds, creeks, streams, low-lying areas and areas with standing water."
</p><p>
According to a new <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-201712" target="_blank">report</a> from the National Centers for Environmental Information, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017's string of massive wildfires in the west <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-disasters-2017-2523867732.html">cost a total of $18 billion</a>, tripling the previous U.S. annual wildfire cost record.
</p><p>
The federal agency's report noted that 2017 was the third warmest year since record keeping began in 1895. The average annual temperature for the contiguous U.S. last year was 54.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.6 degrees above the 20th century average.
</p><p>
While the wildfires in the west are not directly linked to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a>, the Union of Concerned Scientists <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/impacts/global-warming-and-wildfire.html#.WlY8FZO7_BI" target="_blank">has warned</a> that "the effects of global warming on temperature, precipitation levels and soil moisture are turning many of our forests into kindling during wildfire season."
</p><p>
<span></span>"The <a href="http://www.economics.noaa.gov/?goal=weather&file=events/fire/" target="_blank">costs of wildfires</a>, in terms of risks to human life and health, property damage, and state and federal dollars, are devastating, and they are only likely to increase unless we better address the risks of wildfires and reduce our activities that lead to further climate change," the organization said.
</p>
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As predicted, the Thomas Fire in Southern California was officially declared the largest wildfire in state history, surpassing the 2003 Cedar Fire which burned 273,246 acres and killed 15 people.
The vast blaze, now 89 percent contained, has burned through 281,620 acres, according to CalFire. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged and two people were killed.
<p style="">
But the other devastating aspect? A future of even more fires due to
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_blank">climate change</a>. The world's rising temperatures caused by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenhouse-gases">greenhouse gases</a> makes fires more likely to occur not just in California, but across the planet.
</p><p style="">
And in a vicious cycle, the Golden State's recent string of fires has caused a sharp increase in unhealthy air and carbon dioxide
emissions, which drives global climate change. So even if you don't live in California, its fires also affect you and our future generations.
</p><p style="">
“The kinds of fires we're seeing now generate millions of tons of GHG emissions. This is significant," Dave Clegern, a spokesman for the state Air Resources Board, a regulatory body, told
<a href="https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/12/15/why-california-wildfires-threaten-the-states-climate-goals/" target="_blank">KQED Science</a>.
</p><p style="">
While the amount of emissions from the December fires have yet to be calculated, October's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-wildfires-2495161478.html" target="_blank">wine country blazes</a> alone released as much pollution as motorists in the state normally emit in a year.
</p><p style="">
<span></span>Additionally, burning trees not only release a powerful pollutant known as black carbon, but the loss of a forest also hampers CO2 sequestration, Jim Branham, executive officer at the <a href="http://www.sierranevadaconservancy.ca.gov/" target="_blank">Sierra Nevada Conservancy</a>, noted to KQED.
</p><p style="">
The immense scale of the emissions could also undermine California's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_blank">climate change</a> goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030.
</p><p style="">
California Governor Jerry Brown has
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42297370" target="_blank">warned</a> that the state's vast fires "could happen every year or every few years."
</p><p style="">
"We're facing a new reality in this state, where fires threaten people's lives, their properties, their neighborhoods, and of course billions and billions of dollars," Brown commented after surveying the Thomas Fire's damage in Ventura County. "With climate change, some scientists are saying southern California is literally burning up."
</p><p style="">
Indeed, California's fires have become more and more destructive, with 14 of the top 20 largest fires in state history having occurred since 2000.
</p>
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More than 8,400 firefighters are battling the Thomas Fire raging in Southern California's Pacific coast. The massive blaze, which charred 270,000 acres, destroyed 1,024 structures and took the life of 32-year-old Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, is officially the third largest wildfire in state history.
Notably, the Thomas Fire—now 45 percent contained—could potentially take the dubious title of California's largest-ever wildfire since record-keeping began in 1932. The state's largest is the 2003 Cedar Fire which burned 273,246 acres and killed 15 people.
<p>
Environmentalist and <a href="http://www.350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> founder Bill McKibben tweeted about the stunning distinction:
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3ae01" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09VZKF1576661704"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="942755204717580288" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The fire raging in the California hills is set become the largest in state history.
In December.
Which is impossi… https://t.co/nSOXhad4fT</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/942755204717580288">1513605331.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The multiple fires that erupted across Southern California over the past two weeks have been fueled by an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/southern-california-fires-2515861176.html">unusual set of forces</a>, including stronger-than-normal Santa Ana winds, experts says. </p><p style="">The fast-moving Thomas fire, which began on Dec. 4, is now approaching Santa Barbara, threatening more than 18,000 structures, forcing <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/16/us/california-fires/index.html" target="_blank">thousands of additional</a> Californians to evacuate from their homes, and has cost $123.8 million so far to fight. One person has also been killed in a vehicle accident blamed on the Thomas Fire.</p><p>
But hope appears to be on the horizon. According to <a href="http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1922" target="_blank">CalFire</a>, weak northeast winds are expected to cool temperatures and increase humidity, allowing for favorable firefighting efforts.
</p><p>
As <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-wildfires/lighter-winds-early-this-week-may-help-battle-against-california-wildfire-idUSKBN1EC0ZG" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported, the calmer winds helped make Sunday one the most productive days battling the fires.
</p><p>
“We're just hoping to make it home for Christmas," Bakersfield Fire Department Captain Tim Ortiz told the news service.
</p><p>
The Golden State has been experiencing a higher frequency of intense wildfires in recent years. According to Cal Fire, five of the 20 most destructive fires in recorded history have ravaged the state in 2017.
</p><p>
<span></span>The current outbreak comes not long after October's string of devastating wildfires in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/losses-california-wildfires-2499087854.html" target="_blank">Northern California</a> that killed 44 people—the deadliest in state history.
</p><p>
While the link to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> is not clear, scientists have tied California's string of fires to rising temperatures and years of epic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drought" target="_blank">drought</a> that dried tree canopies, grasses and brush that spark wildfires.
</p>
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As six large wildfires and several smaller fires burn across Southern California, firefighters, first responders and everyday Americans are stepping up—and risking their lives—to rescue fellow citizens, homes, buildings and animals from the blazes.
About 5,700 firefighters are battling the region's brushfires around the clock in intense heat and grueling conditions.
<p>
Some come from nearby states, such as Genesee Dennis from the Seaside Fire Department in Oregon who is putting out the Creek Fire with colleagues.
</p><p>
"We just do it. And us going through a 24-hour shift is nothing compared to folks losing their homes," Dennis told CBSLA.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="4f56b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="NM5SMP1576662338"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="938955033357574144" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Take a moment to give some thought and thanks to firefighters who are out there every day keeping people safe. Some… https://t.co/kF0cWimsLH</div> — FOX 32 News (@FOX 32 News)<a href="https://twitter.com/fox32news/statuses/938955033357574144">1512699299.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">
The Los Angeles Police Department touted that their motto "To Protect and Serve" applies in many ways. The department posted an image of an officer in a respirator carrying a cat as smoke billowed from behind.
</p><p style="">
"For some it might just be a cat," the tweet said. "But to others it's a friend, a loved one, a companion."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f1f31" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="LATBDA1576662338"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="938574653085302785" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">For some it might just be a cat. But to others it’s a friend, a loved one, a companion. The #LAPD has a motto, “To… https://t.co/VFbusBfRM8</div> — LAPD HQ (@LAPD HQ)<a href="https://twitter.com/LAPDHQ/statuses/938574653085302785">1512608609.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Other Californians have braved harrowing conditions to save animals. In the video seen above, a man steps into the scorching Ventura County highway to rescue a wild rabbit.
</p><p>
The clip has since gone viral with many on social media calling the man a hero.
</p><p>
"If you need your faith in humanity restored just watch this video of a man saving a wild bunny from the #LAFires," one person
<a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/938673314876100608" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.
</p><p>
Several locals also banded together to save a horse trapped in a ditch as fires raged in Sylmar, California.
</p><p>
"A veterinarian tranquilized the horse, others began moving furniture out of a garage and LA County fire freed up a small crew to help with the rescue," Gina Silva, a reporter with Fox 11, wrote on
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcVZT4JjMb4/?taken-by=ginasilvaworld" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.
</p><p>
"They all tore down the wall to free the animal. The horse was then immediately transported to a nearby animal hospital."
</p><div id="82634" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="46GO7U1576662339"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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width:100%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcVZT4JjMb4/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Gina Silva on Instagram: “Horse Rescue. Early this morning we came across this horse that got stuck in a small crevice as it was running away from the #CreekFire in…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>
In Ventura County, a group of five friends used garden hoses to beat back flames at homes owned by people they've never met.
</p><p>
"For us, this is our community," John Bain, one of the group members, told the
<a href="http://beta.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-socal-fire-friends-save-homes-20171207-story.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times</a>. "I consider this our home. When something like this happens … you can sit around for things to get better or you can try to go out there and do something."
</p><p>
<span></span>Evacuation centers and animal shelters are housing people and pets displaced by the fires. <a href="http://beta.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-southern-california-wildfires-live-l-a-unified-offering-free-meals-friday-1512696896-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">The Times</a> reported that Los Angeles Unified school officials have opened centers where students affected by wildfires can pick up free meals.
</p><p style="">
It's clear that in times like these, when Mother Nature is at her worst, humanity can be at its best.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f5447" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="MKVK0Q1576662339"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="937996998816309249" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">5 friends from Camarillo banded together and went to Ventura to do what they can: help try stop homes from catching… https://t.co/h8LliLevIk</div> — Marcus Yam 火 (@Marcus Yam 火)<a href="https://twitter.com/yamphoto/statuses/937996998816309249">1512470886.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik's view of the fires from the International Space Station. Randy Bresnik / Twitter
California is reeling from an especially bad year of wildfires, from the wine country fires in the North during October to the out-of-control flames currently raging across the South.
In fact, the Golden State has been experiencing a higher frequency of intense wildfires in recent years, with 13 of the largest 20 wildfires in state history breaking out since 2000.
<p>
"Our, if you want to call it, seasons have been elongated by upwards of 40-50 days over the last 50 years and continues to do so," Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean told <a href="http://abc7news.com/calfire-wildfire-season-elongated-by-upwards-of-40-50-days/2743755/" target="_blank">ABC7 News</a> this week. "We had the five years of drought. A lot of trees died, over 102 million trees died."
</p><p style="">
So does the SoCal blaze have anything to do with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a>?
</p><p style="">
Experts say that a mix of conditions is stoking the flames, but a direct link to global warming is still unclear.
</p><p>
However, you can definitely blame the fast-moving blazes on unusually forceful Santa Ana winds, with gusts that have blown between 50 to 80 miles per hour. A color-coded system showing the strength of the winds was "purple" or "extreme" on Thursday—that's completely uncharted territory.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3bd5e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="AJS5ZC1576662340"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="938911554795274240" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today’s pass over SoCal unfortunately doesn’t look any better. The fires east of Camp Pendleton and in Baja are vi… https://t.co/14FNPAD8oj</div> — Randy Bresnik (@Randy Bresnik)<a href="https://twitter.com/AstroKomrade/statuses/938911554795274240">1512688933.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
John Abatzoglou, an associate professor of geography and climate at the University of Idaho, told <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/what-climate-change-did-and-didnt-have-to-do-with-the-socal-fires/547712/" target="_blank">The Atlantic</a> that the Santa Ana winds are becoming more prevalent or moving later in the year. The Santa Ana winds commonly occur in Southern California between October and March.
</p><p>Climate change's effect on the Santa Ana winds is uncertain, but a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2006GL025808/full" target="_blank">2006 study</a> in the journal Geophysical Research Letters "suggested that warming could shift the winds' season leading to larger areas burned by fires," as <a href="http://time.com/5054060/southern-california-fires-cause/" target="_blank">TIME</a> wrote. <span></span></p><p>
Another unusual condition occurring in the region is the lack of rain. The state's wet season should have started by now but “much of the southern half of California is pitching a shutout in terms of rainfall to date," Abatzoglou further explained. That's a characteristic of a weak La Niña in the tropical Pacific, which is causing cooler global temperatures but preventing storms from making landfall in Southern California, he said. </p><p>Other scientists have tied California's fires to rising temperatures and years of epic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drought" target="_blank">drought</a> that dried tree canopies, grasses and brush that spark wildfires.
</p><p>
<span></span>"There's a clear climate signal in these fires because of the drought conditions connected to climate change," Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, told <span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18102017/california-wildfires-global-warming-drought-wind-climate-change-fire" target="_blank">InsideClimate News</a>.
</p><p>
The years 2014, 2015 and 2016 have been the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/stories/2016-marks-three-consecutive-years-of-record-warmth-for-globe" target="_blank">third, second and first</a> hottest years on record to date, and each of these years hosted its own record-breaking fire in the state.
</p><p>
"As long as there's fuel to burn, your chances of having large fires increases when you increase temperatures. It's that simple," added Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
</p>
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Trending
'The Fire Is Still Out of Control': Fast-Moving Wildfire Burns in Southern California
05 December 2017
Climate
The Thomas Fire in Southern California. Ventura County Fire Department / Twitter
California is burning again. A massive wildfire fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds has spread some 31,000 acres in Southern California, destroying 150 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate.
The outbreak comes not long after October's string of devastating wildfires in Northern California that killed 44 people—the deadliest in state history.
<p>
The Thomas Fire started Monday night in Santa Paula and has burned into the city limits of Ventura, just north of Los Angeles, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. Five-hundred fire fighters are on site with additional fire resources en-route.
</p><p>
One person has been killed in a vehicle accident blamed on the fire,
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thomas-fire-california-wildfire-ventura-county-santa-barbara-santa-paula/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported. One firefighter has also been injured.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The fire is still out of control," the fire department said. The menacing blaze has been zero percent contained as of Tuesday morning. </p><p style="">The Incident Commander reported that "winds are increasing, expect fire behavior to increase over the entire incident."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="2dd83" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="YW4RIY1576662942"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="937917018174455808" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#ÚltimaHora: 436 hogares en peligro en Santa Paula, residentes ordenados a evacuar. 2,500 acres y 0% de contenido -… https://t.co/ZTjy2M12gL</div> — KVEA Asignaciones (@KVEA Asignaciones)<a href="https://twitter.com/T52Asignaciones/statuses/937917018174455808">1512451817.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The
<a href="https://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=84a6afd2c9dc8f8c&hl=en&gl=US&source=wweather" target="_blank">National Weather Service</a> warned that high wind watches with damaging gusts up to 60 mph will likely need to be
expanded for late Wednesday night into Thursday.
</p><p>
"This has the
potential to be the strongest and longest duration Santa Ana wind
event we have seen so far this season," the agency said. "The Santa Ana winds will
bring an extended period of extreme fire danger, with Red Flag
Warnings in effect for much of Los Angeles County and all of
Ventura County."
</p><p style="">
"The fire growth is just absolutely exponential," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. "All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people, and protect structures."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="8cebe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="F5DI361576662942"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="938012413470720000" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#ThomasFire - incident commander reporting winds are increasing, expect fire behavior to increase over the entire incident. #VCFD</div> — VCFD PIO (@VCFD PIO)<a href="https://twitter.com/VCFD_PIO/statuses/938012413470720000">1512474561.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">
The wildfire also left thousands without power. But Southern California Edison said in its
<a href="https://www.sce.com/wps/portal/home/outage-center/major-outages/!ut/!ut/p/b1/jZDLboMwEEW_hQXLMEOsuqQ7F0XgKGlLHVHiTQQVGCSCkeMUtV9ft8omUvqY3Yz" target="_blank">latest update</a> at 2:55 am that power has been restored to all of the 83,000 customers in the Santa Barbara county area who were without power, and most of the 180,000 customers who were without power in the Ventura county area.
</p><p>
The power company warned: "Some customers in fire-affected areas should be prepared to be without power for days because of damage caused by the fire."
</p><p style="">
The latest
<a href="http://readyventuracounty.org/" target="_blank">incident report</a> from the Ventura County Fire Department as of 4 am stated:
</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">
“The fire is still out of control and structures continue to be threatened throughout the fire area. Due to the intensity of the fire, crews are having trouble making access and there are multiple reports of structures on fire. Fire crews from many different agencies are actively working on the incident. There are 500 fire fighters on scene with additional fire resources enroute. There are approximately 100 Sheriff's Office personnel, as well as law enforcement officers from the Santa Paula Police Department, Ventura Police Department and California Highway Patrol assisting with evacuations and road closures. The County of Ventura, City of Santa Paula and City of Ventura have all proclaimed a local emergency."
</p><p style="">
"We urge you, you must abide by these evacuation notices," Ventura County Sheriff Jeff Dean
<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/05/568511145/wildfires-in-southern-california-force-thousands-to-evacuate" target="_blank">told reporters</a> Monday. "We saw the disasters and the losses that happened up north in Sonoma and this is a fast, very dangerous moving fire."
</p>
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Losses From California Wildfires Top $1 Billion, Expected to Rise 'Dramatically'
20 October 2017
Climate
www.youtube.com
Insured losses from fires in Northern California have topped $1 billion and are expected to rise "dramatically," state insurance officials announced Thursday.
<p style="">The state estimates that the fires have now torched 8,400 buildings and left 42 dead, making these fires the deadliest in the state's history. Fighting <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires">wildfire</a> is now costing the U.S. billions of dollars each year as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> continues to fuel the flames and rampant development into increasingly dry wildland areas prone to fire ups the risk posed to homes and businesses.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="e07a1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="L2HCKB1576662944"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="920704756976320512" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Two Graphs Explain Why California’s Wildfires Will Only Get Worse https://t.co/0nWcvONoLu @greenpeaceusa @foe_us @SierraClub @ClimateReality</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/920704756976320512">1508348094.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p>
<p style=""><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br></p><p style=""><strong>California fire costs: </strong><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/20/california-fires-razed-8400-buildings-evacuees-check-homes.html" target="_blank">Fox News</a>, <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2017-10-20/the-latest-7-700-buildings-destroyed-in-california-fires" target="_blank">U.S. News</a></p><p style=""><strong><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=451abff1d0&e=992ed4d5cc" target="_blank"></a>Land development: </strong><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fires-development/rampant-land-development-will-worsen-u-s-wildfires-experts-idUSKBN1CO2LR" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a></p><p style=""><strong>Background:</strong> <a href="http://www.climatesignals.org/headlines/events/california-wine-country-fires-october-2017" target="_blank">Climate Signals background on Napa fires</a>, <a href="http://www.climatesignals.org/resources/chart-rising-cost-fighting-wildfires-california" target="_blank">infographic on rising CA fire costs</a>, <a href="http://www.climatesignals.org/resources/chart-rising-cost-fighting-wildfires-us" target="_blank">infographic on rising U.S. costs</a><br><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=230ded1372&e=992ed4d5cc" target="_blank"></a></p><p style=""><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=cd1f2cdcda&e=992ed4d5cc" target="_blank"></a><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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www.youtube.com
Firefighters continue to battle against 17 wildfires that have burned more than 220,000 acres in California, Cal Fire announced in a Friday update.
The death toll from the Northern California blazes has risen to 31, the deadliest week for wildfires in the state's history.
<p>"We had series of statewide fires in 2003, 2007, 2008 that didn't have anything close to this death count," <a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/Californians-Under-Siege-Try-to-Fight-Fires-Find-Loved-Ones-450727423.html" target="_blank">said</a> Daniel Berlant, a deputy director with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.</p><p>The 31 deaths this week surpasses the single deadliest wildfire in state history—the Griffith Park fire of 1933 in Los Angeles which killed 29 people—according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/us/california-wildfire-deaths-napa-sonoma.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=Trending&version=Full&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article" target="_blank">New York Times</a>. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="ef79e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FI50ZL1576662946"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="918549255207321600" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">TMFPD crews are on the front lines of the #CascadeFire.
#CaliforniaWildfires https://t.co/ZSYBjCZVKM</div> — Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (@Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District)<a href="https://twitter.com/TMFPD/statuses/918549255207321600">1507834182.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p style=""><span></span>About 3,500 homes and other structures have been destroyed and thousand have been forced to flee. Hundreds of people have been injured or reported missing. The fires have also released devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_blank">air pollution</a>. <span></span></p><p>"We are reporting the worst air quality ever recorded for smoke in many parts of the Bay Area," Tom Flannigan, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, <a href="http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/10/10/wildfires-have-created-worst-air-quality-ever-recorded-for-smoke-in-bay-area/" target="_blank">told the East Bay Times</a>. "This is similar to what you see in Beijing, China in bad air days there.</p><p>The wine country fires started Sunday and rapidly spread throughout the week due to the area's low humidity and high winds. Scientists have suggested <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> might <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-wildfires-air-2495879541.html">play a role.</a> </p><p>More than 8,000 firefighters are combatting the flames and many have become weary over the past week. </p><p>"We're pretty exhausted. It's pretty steep terrain. We've been dealing with trying to save the structures," Sonoma firefighter Steven Moore told <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/13/557521304/31-killed-in-deadliest-week-for-wildfires-in-californias-history" target="_blank">NPR</a>, adding he has gotten little little sleep in four days of fighting fires.<br></p><p>"The winds aren't helping," Moore says. "All we can do is get to the structures as fast as we possibly can and save what we can."</p><p><span></span>Pope Francis sent a <a href="http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/10/13/pope_francis_telegram_for_california_fire_victims/1342801" target="_blank">telegram</a> Friday to San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone and Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez expressing his condolences and offered "heartfelt solidarity" and "prayers for all those affected by this disaster."</p><p style=""><span></span>Fire officials are preparing for conditions to worsen with high winds expected to return. </p><p style="">"Tonight the winds are forecast to be stronger than experienced Thursday with gusts up to 45 miles an hour," Cal Fire said.</p><p style="">A Red Flag Warning—the highest alert issued by the National Weather Service in which conditions are ideal for wildland fire combustion and rapid spread—has been issued for Friday night, when winds are expected to increase again.<br></p><p style="">"Hundreds of additional fire engines and firefighters have begun to arrive from several other states, not only to help relieve crews on the frontlines, but to be ready for the possibility of new wildfires that may ignite during the Red Flag Warnings," Cal Fire said. </p>
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