Over a dozen homes were lost and almost 4,000 acres were burned by the Thompson Fire in northern California before it was recently put out. This fire started in early July and has been fought by firefighters ever since. It caused up to 28,000 people to leave their homes.
What’s going on?
The Guardian said that more than 1,400 firemen and other workers from all over California fought the fire. At least eight people were hurt and more than twenty buildings were damaged in or near Oroville, a city with just over 20,000 people that is about 70 miles north of Sacramento. Cal Fire says that by July 8, the fire was completely controlled and had moved to “patrol status.”
It was hard to keep the huge fire under control because it was so hot. Northern California was given an extreme heat warning because it was expected to get as hot as 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit there. A report from the Guardian on July 3 says that Nick Shuler, the deputy head of Cal Fire, said, “It’s going to be a challenge both day and night. The message is prevention.”
The governor of California announced a state of emergency for the area to make sure there were enough resources to put out the fire. California has a lot of wildfires in early July, and the Thompson Fire is one of them. As of July 10, more than 3,500 wildfires had burned more than 207,000 acres and more than 2,250 building fires had broken out across the state.
What’s the point of the Thompson fire?
Several studies have shown that as the Earth warms, the wildfire season grows longer, they happen more often, and they burn more land. Extreme flames have become twice as common and twice as big over the last 20 years, according to a study that came out this year in Nature. The study also found that the six worst wildfires in the last 21 years have happened in the last seven years.
Not only was last year the warmest on record for Earth, but many parts of the world also had record-setting wildfires. 2023 was the worst season for damage in Canada’s history. The Lāhainā fire in Hawaii on Maui was the worst natural disaster the state has ever seen. More than 100 people died.
What is being done about the growing number of fires?
More heat-trapping gases are being released into the atmosphere, which is warming the Earth and making it more likely that flames will happen more often and be stronger in the future. There is a positive feedback loop going on here: more flames mean more carbon dioxide in the air, which makes the Earth even hotter.
To help lessen the effects of global warming on flames, we need to switch from dirty energy sources to clean ones. Hope comes from advances in technology.
Scientists have recently made progress with batteries that could make electric cars safer, cheaper, and better for the environment. Also, scientists have made a big discovery about heat pumps, which are the most eco-friendly way to heat and cool your home.
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