There are six different wildfires in the state of California at the moment and they have destroyed a wide swath of the state. More than 230,000 acres have been burned, making it the fifth largest wildfire in the history of California. The worst of such wildfires was the Cedar fire in October 2003, which destroyed 273,246 acres and killed 15 people.
Only one person has been pronounced dead in California but the unforgiving flame has not quit raging. The first wildfire began on December 4 and has been continuously growing out of control. The fire is bigger than New York City and Boston combined. More than 6,400 firefighters are trying their hardest to control the blaze. It has consumed 794 structures and damaged about 190 others, with 18,000 buildings still at risk. There is extremely dry and warm weather with constant winds. Firefighters mention that the 35-45 mph winds exacerbate the fire’s destructive nature.
The six wildfires each have their own separate characteristics, which distinguish them from the rest.
Thomas Fire: This fire has destroyed nearly 232,000 acres. It started on December 4 and has already destroyed more than 790 structures. The cost to fight the fire is currently estimated $34 million. The fire rapidly grew, engulfing 50,000 acres just on December 10.
Creek Fire: The second-largest blaze began on December 5 in Los Angeles, burning 15,619 acres. As of December 10, it was 95% contained.
Rye Fire: This fire broke out December 5 in Los Angeles, burning 6,049 acres. 93% of the flame was contained by December 11.
Lilac Fire: This fast-moving flame started on December 7 and has already burned over 4,100 acres. By December 11, 80% of the flame had been contained.
Skirball Fire: This began on December 6 and is also in Los Angeles. It had torched 422 acres and has been 85% contained.
Liberty Fire: The fire burned 300 acres since December 7 but has been completely contained.
Approximately 94,000 people were evacuated mandatorily due to the spread of the fire, some being very famous people, including Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres.
DeGeneres said, “Our house is under threat of being burned. We just had to evacuate our pets. I’m praying for everyone in our community and thankful to all the incredible firefighters.”
“[We’re] facing a new reality in the state,” California Gov. Jerry Brown said Saturday as he surveyed damage in Ventura County. “It’s a horror and a horror we need to recover from.” The state of California isn’t out of danger yet, but when they are there will be a lot of clean up to do so the state can recover from this disaster.
