California, United States: Following an extremely tough week of triple-digit temperatures across much of the state, California’s fire season has gotten an early start. The Mosquito Fire, the Mountain Fire in Northern California, and the Fairview Fire in Southern California are enormous wildfires ripping across the state and obscuring the skies with smoke.
The largest fire in the state by size is the Fairview Fire in Riverside County, about 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Two persons have died, and 11 buildings have been demolished.
Shane Reichardt, Spokesperson for the Riverside County Department of Emergency Management, said, ” Temperatures have been sweltering for over a week now. It hasn’t cooled off or begun to heal overnight, causing a lot of stress”.
According to the National Weather Services, the lingering effects of a hurricane might now make life much more difficult for residents of Riverside County. Peak gusts could fan the flames with speeds of up to 75 mph in the highlands and desert and 55 mph in the valleys. After that, there will be rain of up to seven inches, which might help put out the fire but also bring on other calamities like flash floods and mudslides, according to the National Weather Service’s projection of up to seven inches of rain in the county.
Reichardt added, ” The possibility of mudslides in and near the burn scar area worries us greatly. Anytime it rains after a fire, the soil is not prepared to receive water. Usually, a lot of plants keep that dirt in place. As a result, the soil may now move with the water.
Fire and rain together had a fatal history. After the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County in 2018, mudslides, flooding, and rain resulted in at least 21 fatalities. Multiple lawsuits were filed while responding to the incident, and SoCal Edison settled them by paying $360 million to 23 public entities.
After crossing the American River overnight, the Mosquito Fire in Northern California’s El Dorado and Placer counties had expanded more than 23,000 acres as of Friday morning. No one has been hurt.
Gavin Newsom, the governor, declared a state of emergency in Riverside, El Dorado and Placer counties due to wildfires on Thursday.
