It was since the 8th of October when forest fires broke out in California's Wine Country, mostly Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino, killing about 42 people, destroying over 7,500 buildings and 10,000 homes, and burning almost 245,000 acres, according to reports.
It was known to be one the deadliest firestorms occurred in the Golden State and numerous firefighters are struggling to contain the blazes that keeps on worsening due to the continued dry, windy conditions. No one knows what caused this blaze, most speculate it was unseasonably high temperatures, tinder-dry conditions, and gusty winds.
Some people say it was arson that caused the flames in California as a certain right-wing media published the article about the arrest of a homeless man accused of felony arson. The man in question, immigration officials said has been returned twice to Mexico, told deputies he set the Maxwell Farms Park in Sonoma Valley in flames, sparking debate about immigration issues. A Sonoma County sheriff downplayed that claim.
Speaking of arson, there was another wildfire occurred in Northern California two weeks later, amid the blitz in the Wine Country. Known as the Bear Fire incident, authorities believed that a man is suspected behind the blaze at the Santa Cruz Mountains over an apparent dispute, burning 391 acres and destroyed two homes, four outbuildings, five recreational vehicles and 17 vehicles.
Right now, the most devastating blazes occurred in the Golden State have been nearly contained but the main trouble now is how will they take care of the mess and rehabilitate areas affected by the monster blazes occurred throughout this month. With all the debris, ash, and even hazardous materials littered around in the aftermath, it seems that the cleanup would take a while but there's one thing that bugged me the most. How would the people in the affected areas think about what happened this month when a popular winery destination in America became an inferno no one saw it coming? Whether if its natural causes or man made, there is a clear case that forest fires are hard to prevent in these modern times but with lessons learned from this tragic event, here's hoping that Californian's should be extra prepared in any event a forest fire would strike the Golden State.
Further reading:
No comments:
Post a Comment