Causes of CA Wildfires Revisited
Causes of CA Wildfires Revisited
There is always a great media focus on how our disastrous wildfires get started and not why they are becoming increasing massive and uncontrollable. CalFire says (our state firefighting agency,) there are on average 2,900 wildfires each year. Almost all are put out so fast you will never hear about them. Many are also put out by local fire districts as well. Fire districts are always improving training & equipment.
What causes the few to become so massive and uncontrollable is requiring very negligent maintenance of wild areas, allowing a great fire load to accumulate. As, every year this will be bone dry during summers, and fires can spread very fast. According to our US Forest Service, there were 129,000,000 dead trees standing in CA (Google: 129 million dead trees in CA). Most are pine trees that are bark beetle kills. Over-crowding of forests, aids in rapid fire spread and poor tree health. In droughts, overcrowded forests struggle for the remaining groundwater. Under brush used to be eliminated by controlled burns. Environmentalists have used political pressure and lawsuits to fight burns. They demand things be left “natural.”
The recent LA homes were surrounded by a huge load of brush right up against property lines. This brush develops a sap layer on the branches that is highly flammable when dry. Homeowners were not allowed to clear a defensive zone even though they knew of the great danger.
Mark Fernwood
Man Arrested for 'Starting' LA Wildfire – Could Face Life Prison as Authorities Seek Max. Punishment