January 7, 2025. Southern California is experiencing a strong storm, causing many mountain fires. The storm is considered to be one of the strongest storms in the region for more than a decade, forcing many places to issue emergency evacuation orders and close many roads. Gavin Newson, the governor of California, said that the state was in a state of emergency because of mountain fires.
According to the California Fire Department, as of 18: 30 Western Time, the mountain fire in the Pacific Palisade area of Los Angeles has spread over 11.7 square kilometers. According to data from PowerOutage.us, an American power tracking website, more than 90,000 users in California are currently without power.
What is a mountain fire?
Mountain fires refer to large-scale fires that occur in mountainous areas or forests. Mountain fires are sometimes caused by natural factors such as lightning, falling rocks, glass reflections, etc. But more often than not, it is caused by human activities such as fireworks, barbecue, burning garbage, etc. Regardless of the reason, once a wildfire starts, it is difficult to stop. It will devour all combustibles, including trees, grass, houses, cars, etc. It will produce thick smoke and dust, polluting the air and water sources. It will threaten the safety of human and animal life, causing huge economic losses.
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| California wildfires are raging! | When will the California wildfires go out? |
Why do mountain fires often happen in California?
This is mainly because of its geographical location and climatic conditions. California is located on the west coast of North America and has a Mediterranean climate. This climate is characterized by hot and dry summers and mild and humid winters. In summer, California is affected by the high pressure belt, and there is almost no rain. This causes the plants in the forest to lose water and become dry and flammable. In winter, California is affected by the low pressure zone, and there is a lot of rainfall. This has led to the lush growth of plants in the forest and increased the number of combustible materials.
In addition to temperature and humidity, there is another important factor that affects California mountain fires: wind. California often suffers from a special kind of wind: Santa Ana wind. This is a strong dry wind blowing from the inland to the ocean, which usually appears in autumn and winter. Santa Ana wind will increase the temperature and decrease the humidity in California, and at the same time, it will also blow Mars and ashes far away, causing new fires or aggravating existing fires.
In addition to natural factors, human activities are also an important reason for frequent mountain fires in California. With population growth and economic development, more and more people choose to build their homes near mountains or forests. Although these areas have beautiful scenery, there is also a high risk of mountain fires. Once a fire breaks out, it will not only endanger people's lives and property, but also increase the difficulty and cost of firefighters' rescue.
In order to provide electricity to these areas, transmission equipment often goes through forests. However, power supply companies often do not have enough funds and manpower to regularly maintain and update transmission equipment, and rarely prune trees around transmission lines. This will easily lead to mountain fires. In 2018, there was an unprecedented mountain fire in California: the Camp fire. The fire was caused by an aging power line. It killed 85 people, destroyed 18,804 buildings, forced more than 52,000 people to evacuate, and razed a small town called "Paradise".
How does an incurable disaster affect global climate change?
The impact of California mountain fires is not limited to the state, but also affects the whole country and even the whole world. The smoke and dust produced by mountain fires will pollute the air quality and endanger the health of humans and animals. According to statistics, from 2018 to 2020, the number of bad and dangerous air quality days in the United States reached an unprecedented level, and about 137 million Americans lived in areas with poor air quality. California is one of the states most affected by mountain fires, and its air pollution ranks first.
Mountain fires will also lead to a large number of greenhouse gas emissions and aggravate global climate change. It is estimated that California's carbon dioxide emissions in the past two years are at the highest level in nearly 20 years. In 2021, wildfires in California released 161 million tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to about 40% of the state's emission inventory in 2020. The researchers also found that California mountain fires have a greater impact on global climate change than previously thought. They release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and black carbon, which can lead to global temperature rise and further aggravate climate change.
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