This has been Southern California’s
most destructive wildfire season on record:
more than 10,000 structures destroyed
and over a million acres burned.
But even though this season is the worst,
it doesn't stand alone:
Eight of the 10 biggest wildfires in California
have occurred in the past 10 years.
In Santa Barbara and Ventura counties,
the Thomas Fire is now one of the biggest wildfires in state history –
and it won’t be stopped until a major rainstorm moves in.
There are three reasons to believe a fire
like this even in December is the new normal.
A lot of this has to do with climate change.
In December, the Santa Ana winds blew relentlessly.
These are the hurricane-force gusts
that blow off the Mojave Desert and feed major wildfires.
It’s not unusual for Santa Anas this late in the season,
but historically, this region would have had some rain by now.
Scientists believe that storm systems
aren’t coming in from the Pacific Ocean
because they’re being blocked by high-pressure systems
caused by warming ocean temperatures.
There is also just more fuel now.
Wildfires are part of a natural cycle
that clear forests and brush lands
and allow them to regenerate.
But for over a century, we’ve actually suppressed wildfires,
which has led to a buildup in fuel
that help produce the modern megafire.
Some of the area where the Thomas Fire is now burning
hasn't burned in over 70 years.
To make matters worse,
we’ve been developing more in wildlands with high fire risks.
In California alone, there are nearly 500,000 homes in the wildlands
at direct risk of wildfires.
In 1932, a fire similar in size to the Thomas Fire
burned only one structure.
By comparison, 2017’s fire in the same area
has burned more than a thousand.
Modern megafires burn so hot, intensely and erratically
that firefighters can’t put these out.
It’s not safe.
All they can do these days is try to steer them away
from life and property and wait for rain...
a strategy that may also be the new norm
with fires expected to only worsen in a hotter and drier California.
Kirk Siegler.
NPR News.
Los Angeles.
