Southern California has gone through a week of raging wildfires. About 6 imminent fires have burned 180,000 acres of land and destroyed 792 structures, leaving people terrified, without homes, and in some cases, dead. More than 4,000 firefighters have been working to aid the situation and continue to relieve the people of South California while this nightmare in hell continues, 1,000 fire departments in several counties in California are coming together to relieve the population. The “Thomas Fire” as it was named, has been the biggest one so far, claiming one life with it and causing incredible destruction in its course. Inhabitants of Los Angeles and Ventura were placed in a Red Flag warning earlier last week and the weather conditions of winds and low humidity will not aid the situation. Firefighters are making progress with the fires, but none of them have been cleared out.
Governor Jerry Brown of California gave a statement that is far from comforting during this time of need, saying: “This is kind of the new normal”, referring to the fires that will be present for decades to come on a regular basis due to climate change. He believes the situation needs to be addressed by investing in the managing of the vegetation and forests in a place that keeps getting hotter, apart from the resources already in use to combat the fires. President Trump has initiated relief efforts in affected counties and the White House has also approved direct federal assistance for California. We hope this is a wake up call for the government administration to take climate change seriously and address its impact diligently.
Image: CNN
Source: CNN
Cover Image: ABC News