(Photo/CAL Fire Instagram)
More than 18,000 firefighters continue to fight 26 major wildfires across the state, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. As of Thursday, September 24th there are three active fires in closer proximity to Cypress. These include the El Dorado fire, Snow fire, and Bobcat fire which all have a containment level of 50% or higher.
Cal Fire stated on their website that since the beginning of the year about 8,000 fires have burned over 3.6 million acres. Around August 15th, when fire activity picked up, there has been 26 casualties and over 6,700 structures destroyed.
California has had one of the worst fire seasons to date with 5 of the 6 largest wildfires occurring in the past two months. The August Complex fire which has burned over 850,000 acres has now passed the 2018 Mendocino fire (459,000 acres) as one of the largest fires in state history.
U.S Forest Service firefighter Charles Morton died fighting the El Dorado Fire as confirmed by the U.S. Forest Service. He was remembered as a kind and hardworking man who was devoted to his family, friends, and job.
This fire was ignited by a pyrotechnic device used by a family during a gender reveal party. Criminal charges are being considered against the family but will not be filed before the fire has been extinguished. The El Dorado Fire has currently burned over 22,000 acres and remains at 74% containment.
Regarding the 2020 Fire Season, Cal Fire’s website posted:
“While wildfires are a natural part of California’s landscape, the fire season in California and across the West is starting earlier and ending later each year. Climate change is considered a key driver of this trend. Warmer spring and summer temperatures, reduced snowpack, and earlier spring snowmelt create longer and more intense dry seasons that increase moisture stress on vegetation and make forests more susceptible to severe wildfire. The length of fire season is estimated to have increased by 75 days across the Sierras and seems to correspond with an increase in the extent of forest fires across the state.”
For further information and an active fire map visit fire.cal.gov.
Fires all over the state, moving outwards to Oregon and Arizona. (Cal Fire Map)
