August 28th
Olivia Martin
The Erskine Fire is the largest and most intense wildfire that has occurred this year, and currently the most massive in the country. It lasted from June 23rd and it was officially 100% contained on July 11th. It rapidly burned through thousands of acres of California land. The fire scorched the areas surrounding Lake Isabella near Kern County. It was the first wildfire of the summer with fatalities, and it destroyed over three hundred structures. The Erskine Wildfire is one of over four thousand fires that has blown through the West Coast in just this year. Out of the five thousand firefighters that were preventing fires across the state, about two thousand of them were assigned to this wildfire.
Residents in the community, called South Lake, were infuriated that the firefighters weren't containing the fire effectively. The members of the town wanted answers from state officials, but they explained that the fire was too large to be contained quickly. With the winds at forty and fifty miles per hour, the blaze was spreading too rapidly for firemen to catch before it got any worse. The Erskine Fire was the most destructive one yet, and other fires are still spreading all over the West Coast.
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/07/01/pic-of-the-week-the-largest-wildfire-in-the-country-ignites-the-california-landscape/
- http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-fires-containment-acres-evacuations-20160627-snap-story.html
I have always been amazed by wildfires. The fact that they can be started by a simple lightning strike and can spread so quickly. I
ReplyDeleteDon't think the the people of California should be upset with the firefighters-they are doing the best they can. Humans can never completely control Mother Nature. When you move to California, that's just one of the risks you
Take in exchange for the beautiful weather!
I completely agree, the firefighters have no control on natures course. There are plenty of wild fires throughout California and it should almost be considered an expectation to have at least one or two wildfires every two years or so when living there. I think they are blowing it way out of proportion and blaming something on people that have no control over it.
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