Wildfires in California

Throughout 2017, the world has been tested by nature in a variety of ways. From the hurricanes that plagued coastal areas to intense flooding, we as a species realized more than ever that nature is not always our friend. But, as the year came to a close, Mother Nature decided she wasn’t quite done with us yet. At the beginning of December, dangerous wildfires began spreading throughout California. Large teams of firefighters worked tirelessly to combat the flames and save as many people as possible. A large amount of people were forced to evacuate their homes due to how unpredictability the fires were spreading. At the time of writing this, 22 people have been reported dead from the fires and over 1,000 structures have been destroyed.

But, why did this end up happening? For starters, Southern California has an incredibly dry climate. The lack of rain and moisture in the area often leads to small blazes occurring. This year, however, showed an unprecedented amount of damage when it came to these usually fairly harmless fires. Many scientists are blaming the worsening conditions of climate change. Usually, California rain would end the fire season in November. But these rains have not yet occurred, due to our ever changing climate, which led to the blazes staying around for longer. Hopefully, as we roll into 2018, the condition in California improves. And maybe in 2018 Mother Nature may give us a needed break.

Works Cited

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/547712/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/energy-and-environment/2017/12/12/16762120/los-angeles-california-fire-climate-change

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/12/11/us/california-wildfires/index.html

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/california-forests-climate-polluters-18941

#december #fire #destruction #nature #climatechange