100 new wildfires in California, US, in four days

100 new wildfires in California, US, in four days

28 July 2017

published by http://www.fireandrescue.co

USA – Fire fighters and determined residents of Mariposa County, California continued their battle against the massive Detwiler Fire on 20 July 2017 as wildland blazes continued to burn around the state, generating smoke for hundreds of kilometres. More than 900 square kilometres of land has burned so far this year and the Detwiler Fire west of Mariposa continued to pose danger to historic small communities that have been emptied out by evacuations since the fire began on 16 July 2017.

In tiny Catheys Valley along Highway 140, the danger appeared to have passed for now but a handful of residents who opted to stay and fight recounted how close the flames had come. The fire jumped the ridge, came over here, it was nine to 12 metre flames right in front of our houses, said Frank Gomes, who has lived in the ramshackle collection of homes and trailers for five years along with about 30 neighbours. Me and the owner of the property, we stayed to defend the property because this is actually low income, so we just didnt want to see everybody lose the little bit that they had.

Gomes, who spoke as fire engines remained on watch in front of his property, said he had seen fires in the area in the past, but never one with the ferocity of the Detwiler Fire. This is the worst one Ive seen, he said, adding that fire fighters had saved the area. Cal Fire did a great job, Mariposa Fire Department and all the other ones that came from all over to help us and protect us and we thank them. Everybody did their part, and very few houses burned. They saved a lot of people.

The Detwiler fire burning near Yosemite National Park west of Mariposa can be seen from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite above. The satellite imagery shows wind pushing the smoke. By 20 July 2017, Cal Fire estimated the blaze had burned more than 283 square kilometres, destroyed 45 homes and 40 other structures, and was only 10 percent contained. Another 1 500 structures remained threatened. About 3 200 fire fighters were working to save the towns of Mariposa and Coulterville, as well as other tiny communities tucked into the foothills and steep canyons.

The topography of the area was causing problems in the fire fight, and although fire fighters were making progress, Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said higher temperatures predicted for the weekend may make the effort much more difficult. After five years of drought broken by record rain and snow, the conditions for wildfire are almost perfect.

Thick grass and brush that grew from the rains then dried out in the heat helped feed the fire when it began. The flames are still heading east toward heavy areas of forest pocked with large stands of dead trees, McLean said. Yeah, the drought was declared over, but we are now going to have to be dealing with the results from that drought, he said. This is a prime example in the dead vegetation that is burning in this fire.

The number of fires so far this year state-wide for Cal Fire is staggering. As of 19 July 2017, Cal Fire had reported 3 321 blazes, including about 100 new ones since 16 July 2017, that had burned nearly 810 square kilometres. That compares to 2 480 fires as of 16 July 2016 that had burned 130 square kilometres. Those figures dont count fires that burned federal land.

So you can see the significant difference, McLean said. Fire season started early, as soon as the winter quit, and our heavy grass crop is one of the culprits.

An international team of climate researchers from the US, South Korea and the UK has developed a new wildfire and drought prediction model for southwestern North America. Extending far beyond the current seasonal forecast, this study published in the journal Scientific Reports could benefit the economies with a variety of applications in agriculture, water management and forestry.

Over the past 15 years, California and neighboring regions have experienced heighteneddrought conditions and an increase inwildfire numbers with considerable impacts on human livelihoods, agriculture, and terrestrial ecosystems. This new research shows that in addition to a discernible contribution from natural forcings and human-induced global warming, the large-scale difference between Atlantic and Pacific ocean temperatures plays a fundamental role in causing droughts, and enhancing wildfire risks.

“Our results document that a combination of processes is at work. Through an ensemble modeling approach, we were able to show that without anthropogenic effects, the droughts in the southwestern United States would have been less severe,” says co-author Axel Timmermann, Director of the newly founded IBS Center for Climate Physics, within the Institute for Basics Science (IBS), and Distinguished Professor at Pusan National University in South Korea. “By prescribing the effects of man-made climate change and observed global ocean temperatures, our model can reproduce the observed shifts in weather patterns and wildfire occurrences.”

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-atlanticpacific-ocean-temperature-difference-fuels.html#jCpAn international team of climate researchers from the US, South Korea and the UK has developed a new wildfire and drought prediction model for southwestern North America. Extending far beyond the current seasonal forecast, this study published in the journal Scientific Reports could benefit the economies with a variety of applications in agriculture, water management and forestry.

28. July 2017/by GFMCadmin