Conditions Ripe for Explosive Wildfire Season in Southern California

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"Jim Kilgore of San Bernardino runs from a ball of flame. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)"

All it takes is one spark. The phrase has gained more and more meaning each year across the globe. From Hawaii to Southern California, a combination of droughts and winds and abnormal weather spurred by El Niño may have a dramatic effect on fire behavior this fall/winter. 

Here's a great article about the enormous effect the Santa Ana winds have on dangerous fire behavior in Southern California (and how it will most likely be worse this year.)

From the Source:

"'That's the scary part of the Santa Anas. They blow from the source into where people live. That wasn't necessarily true 50 years ago. But people more and more are living in what I call 'Santa Ana corridors,' ' said William Patzert, climatologist for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.

While non-Santa Ana fires tend to burn in more remote areas, such as national forests and rugged wild lands, Santa Ana fires descend on more populated areas including along the coast, where higher property values and more residents are at stake, said Yufang Jin, assistant professor at UC Davis' Department of Land, Air and Water Resources and lead author of the study...

Fires in Southern California will only get more intense with climate change, according to the UC study. The study projects that by mid-century, as the region gets hotter and drier, non-Santa Ana fires will increase 77%, and Santa Ana fires by 64%...

Santa Anas also tend to generate more 'firebrands,' or small burning embers that get cast into the air and spark more blazes ahead of the fire, Sapsis said. They tend to start fires that burn nearby homes...

'With these extreme conditions, it literally does just take a spark,' she said. 'If we could take that out of the equation, we're going to be in a much better position.'"

Dealing with Wildfires in North Hawaii

HWMO, along with its fire agency partners, are highlighted in this week's edition of North Hawaii News! Get the inside scoop on what it took to fight the challenging Kawaihae Fire last month from those who were on the front lines. You'll also find some of the work HWMO is doing to keep wildfire occurrences and destructive effects to a minimum. 

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Aftermath of Kawaihae fire that burned from makai to mauka. (Pablo Beimler/HWMO)

From the Source:

"With fewer per capita emergency resources than higher populated areas like Honolulu, HFD has to make strategic use of available resources to cover large geographic areas on challenging terrain. Communication, coordination among units, planning, training, equipment and following well-established priorites are crucial, according to Captain Sommers."

"Pablo Beimler, education and outreach coordinator for Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), has created a compelling video vividly depicting the Kawaihae wildfire’s cumulative damage to coastal areas. It can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kNo7Ucv28Y.

With this month’s fire coming close to the ocean, HWMO’s Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett says, “'Most residents do not readily connect wildfire to coastal impacts because there is frequently a lag time and often geographic distance between fires and storm events.'"

Sequoias and Historic Stump in Path of California Wildfire

"Sequoia trees in Grant Grove are charred in Kings Canyon National Park, California, on September 12, 2015." Credit: National Geographic

Thick, fire-resistant bark and a massive canopy can protect trees from wildfires, most notably: giant sequoias. Native trees like koa can also use their canopies to their advantage by shading out fire-loving undergrowth, reducing the amount of fuel for a fire. Unfortunately, most native plants in Hawaii do not regenerate well after a wildfire, unlike sequoias. Our fire ecosystems in Hawaii can differ vastly from the mainland, but some things hold true for all.

From the Source:

"'They are a fire-dependent species that are well adapted to survive burns,' says Nichols. 'In fact, fire helps them get the next generation of sequoias started.' That’s because fire encourages the trees to drop their cones en masse. The blaze knocks out competition from other plants and provides a great shot of fertilizer in the form of ash. (Learn more about sequoias and fire.)'

Sequoias have fibrous, fire-resistant bark that can grow up to two-feet thick, insulating them from damage, says Stephen C. Sillett, a Humboldt State University ecologist who has received grants from the National Geographic Society to study the giants in Sequoia National Park. The trees’ massive size and canopy also help cut down on undergrowth around them, which reduces fuel for fires."

Rain Poses Unique Challenges for Ranchers

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Credit: K. Kendall/Flickr

El Niño is having a particular impact on ranchers that may in turn impact fire behavior. Too much 'off and on' rainfall is creating grass that cattle have trouble digesting. A long period of drought during the winter won't help either. 

From the Source:

"Rain may be good for farmers, but the sporadic 'off and on' downpours Maui has seen in the last two months have some ranchers on edge.  Kaupo Ranch Manager Billy Ferreira said his cattle need to adjust to eating the green, moist grass.  In the short term, the high moisture content of the 'washy feed' could upset the stomachs of cattle.

What concerns him most is that the heavy rains now means a drier winter later.  Meteorologists say rain during the normally dry summer is likely the result of the El Nino effect that typically causes wetter-than-normal summers and drier winters. Ranchers like Ferreira worry a very dry winter could last until spring."

Farmers Guild Community Raises Over $18K for Wildfire Victims

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Photo Credit: Farmers Guild

Very encouraging and inspiring article about the power of community and overcoming devastation through generosity and compassion (with delicious food sharing on top of that!)

From the Source:

But a potluck can be powerful. Whether it's the Grange or the Farmers Guild, a neighborhood group or a house of faith, cultivating the space for communion bears many fruit. Most of the time that fruit is hard to see, harder still to measure—relationships, inspiration, invisible threads spun throughout a community. On rare occasions, however, that impact is obvious. Even measurable. Like on Thursday evening. Three days to plan. Eighteen thousand dollars. Forty-three auction items. One Grange hall. Four hundred people. 

For those in Lake County who've lost homes, crops, cars, livestock, businesses, photo albums, and even family members, we know that eighteen thousand dollars will make only a dent. And some things are irreplaceable. But we also know that ours is only one community of many. And so to all those who gathered with us on Thursday and all those who are, in their own communities, mobilizing to help those in need—and more importantly, to those who cultivate community even when giant billows of smoke don't waft overhead—I thank you.

After Years of Drought, Wildfires Rage in California

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Screen capture from New York Times.

This interactive news piece (graphs, maps, photos, and gifs) offers some eye-popping insight into the impacts of drought on wildfire frequency and severity. 

From the Source:

"He described how fire – in such arid conditions – climbed quickly up mountain ridges and spread vertically, going from the grasses at ground level to smaller branches that act as ladders to the bodies of dry trees.

Dead trees were, in part, what allowed the fire to keep going. And they can be found all over California...

A study from the University of California, Merced, has shown that fire seasons in the West, including California, are, on average, 86 days longer than they were in the 1970s.

'Southern California has a 12-month fire season now,' said Scott L. Stephens, a professor of fire science at the University of California, Berkeley. 'You can have a fire there at any time.'”

How to Help California Wildfire Victims

Screen capture from CNN video.

The wildfires that have ravaged Northern California's Napa, Lake, Amador, and Calaveras counties have destroyed hundreds of homes and business, leveled a popular holistic retreat, and killed half a dozen people. There are a number of ways in which you can help the victims of these fires, even if you live across the oceans:

• Providing funds
• Finding Victims
• Locating Animals Through Social Media

Nude Hot Springs Retreat Burns Down from Wildfire

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"Burned out remains of the popular nudist destination, Harbin Hot Springs is seen after the Valley fire roared through the area near Middletown, Calif. on Sept, 14.(Photo: Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images)"

A favorite retreat for many in Northern California burned down from the latest Lake County wildfire that also took many homes and a half dozen lives with it. Wildfires can be a major threat to community resources, whether they are heiau, community centers, or clothing-optional spas. Our hearts go out to all of those affected.

From the Source:

"According to the website, the holistic center, which is a non-profit operated by the Heart Consciousness Church, evacuated Saturday afternoon.

A statement on Harbin's website reads: 'Photos and video have circulated online showing the destruction of the main retreat buildings, and the area is unrecognizable. That said, it appears that the historic pools still exist. Beyond that, we cannot confirm specifics or estimate damages until we are allowed to return ourselves.'"

These Photos from the California Wildfires are Apocalyptic

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"A playground is surrounded by smoldering rubble in Middletown, California, Sept. 13, 2015." Credit: Josh Edelson/Getty Images

Residents of Middletown and San Andreas have been hit hard by massive wildfires that have destroyed over 400 homes and businesses and taken the lives of a few people. 

It's the kind of news you never want to see, but unfortunately, it's becoming more and more common with the increase in frequency, size and intensity of wildfires all around the U.S. and especially in California. 

These haunting photos offer a harrowing glimpse of the aftermath of the fires. Warning: they will give you chills (and one includes some graphic content).