California Wildfires Cause Havoc on the West Coast

California, as a state, has a long-standing history of wildfires popping up, usually due to the very dry conditions that the state is exposed to during times of drought. However, this 2018 wildfire season is the most destructive on record in CA to date, with a grand total of 7,983 fires decimating homes and properties over an area of 1,824,505 acres, the highest amount of burned acreage recorded during any fire season according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (as of November 30). After fires have been ravaging the state since June of this year, and they are still burning. Despite firefighters’ best efforts to contain the raging blazes, people are still being forced to evacuate their homes, and many come back to find piles of rubble in place of their lovely million-dollar estates. The fires have caused over $2.975 billion in damages, including $1.366 billion in fire suppression costs.

From June to August 2018, mostly in the northern part of the state, a series of huge wildfires popped up, including the destructive Carr Fire and the Mendocino Complex Fire. A national disaster was declared in California on August 4^th due to the extensive wildfires still burning there.

Following these fires was a slight lull period, because there probably were wildfires occurring during this time, but they were not very large or destructive. The next series of large, destructive fires were sparked by strong winds in November. This new round of wildfires included the Woolsey Fire and the Camp Fire, the latter of which resulted in the deaths of (at least) 88 people, with almost 30 people still unaccounted for. It also destroyed more than 18,000 structures, earning the titles of Cali’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record.

Although these fires have been rapidly destroying homes and families along the west coast, many different local and national companies and corporations have done their part in assisting the victims of these fires. The American Red Cross has set up temporary shelters and food sites across the state, and anyone can donate just $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999. The CCF Wildfire Relief Fund supports current recovery efforts for large California wildfires, as well as long-term preparedness efforts. The Entertainment Industry Foundation is raising money through its Fire Relief Fund, and the Humane Society of Ventura County is accepting animals that are evacuating from the Hill and Woolsey fires. All in all, many efforts have been made to improve California’s current state of continuous deterioration, but it will be a while before things can really be done to assess and repair the damage caused by these wildfires.