Wildfire

California's wildfire season was already the worst on record with over half-million acres burned. And new fires have started which are not yet contained.

The largest of those, the Thomas fire, has so far burned over 90,000 acres and had 5 percent containment as of Wednesday evening, according to Ventura city officials. The fire has destroyed at least 150 structures (that number is expected to grow substantially ― the latest incident report lists 12,000 structures as threatened) and forced the evacuation of 50,000 people.

Update (December 7):  High winds are helping to spread the fires. Twelve million people were sent text alerts.

Update (December 16):  The Thomas fire is now 252,000 acres.

Update (December 24):  With 273,400 acres burned, the Thomas fire is now the largest recorded in California.

Update (December 27):  Chris Mooney examines the dangers of wildfire smoke.

[W]ildfires fill the air with the byproducts of combustion, including very dangerous small particles known as PM2.5, which can get into the lungs and bloodstream. A growing body of research has demonstrated that these particles degrade health and contribute to thousands of deaths each year in the United States alone by causing respiratory, cardiovascular and other health problems.

Update (August 6, 2018):  The Mendocino Complex fire is now the second-largest for California at over 273,600 acres.

Update (August 7, 2018):  And now the largest at 283,800 acres.

Update (August 17, 2018):  There are 566 fires burning in British Columbia.

Update (August 22, 2018):  Washington State experienced hazardous air quality.

Update (September 19, 2018):  The Mendocino Complex fire is now contained at 459,123 acres.

Update (November 9, 2018):  More devastation in California.

Update (November 10, 2018):  The Camp fire is the most destructive in state history with 7000 structures lost.

Update (November 12, 2018):  With at least 42 people killed, the Camp fire is now the deadliest in state history.

Update (November 17, 2018):  Now 74 dead and possibly over 1000 missing.

Update (November 25, 2018):  The Camp fire has destroyed about 14,000 homes and killed at least 85 people. The number of missing has been revised to 249.

Update (August 1, 2019):  About 7.9 million acres are on fire in Siberia, an area nearly three times the size of Yakima County.

Update (August 20, 2019):  Nancy Fresco conducts research on wildfires at the University of Alaska.

The evidence shows that overall, fires in the far North are becoming bigger, hotter and more frequent. Older conifers are losing ground to younger deciduous trees, altering whole ecosystems. Torched trees are releasing carbon, along with soils rich in dead plant matter that are burning more deeply than in the past. As these releases fuel further warming, climate change is causing more climate change, which affects the entire planet.

Also, fires in the Amazon rainforest have been burning for weeks with little media coverage. The number of fires is 83 percent higher than last year.

Update (August 22, 2019):  Wildfires in the Amazon seem to follow increased deforestation encouraged by Brazil's rightwing government.

Fires are common in the Amazon during the region’s dry season, but this year has not been drier or windier than normal, experts have said, meaning many of the outbreaks have likely come from ranchers and farmers. And many environmental advocates have pointed to rapid destruction of the forest as the driver in the spread of the flames.

Update (August 27, 2019):  And now the trade wars started by Dear Leader turn out to be environmentally destructive.

As unsold U.S. soybeans are stored in silos across the farm belt, Brazilian farmers and corporations scramble to satisfy the voracious Chinese market. The push to break new ground ... is putting increasing pressure on the Amazon rainforest and is likely linked to the region’s devastating fires.

Also, Umair Irfan explains how this year's increase in fires brings us closer to a "forest dieback" which could switch the Amazon from a carbon sink to a carbon source.

Update (August 29, 2019):  Dean Baker notes a certain unfairness with international pressure on Brazil to do something about the Amazon.

The rich countries [previous] lack of concern for the environment made it cheaper for them to develop. Now poorer countries, who are struggling to develop, are being told that they need to respect the environment for the good of the planet.

Update (August 31, 2019):  Travis Waldron and Chris D’Angelo echo the thought that Brazil doesn't shoulder all the blame.

The sheer scale of the global economy and the complexity of the supply chains and financial systems that make it work mean that nearly every company, corporation and banking and investment institution on the planet is complicit in the destruction of the Amazon and other forest ecosystems around the world.

Update (October 31, 2019):  More fires in California.

[W]ith portions of the state living under an unprecedented "Extreme Red Flag Warning" issued by the National Weather Service due to the severe conditions—some climate experts are openly wondering if this kind of harrowing "new normal" brought on by the climate crisis could make vast regions of the country entirely uninhabitable.

Update (November 11, 2019):  Bush fires in eastern Australia have led to a state of emergency declaration.

Update (December 22, 2019):  Fires continue to burn in Australia with no relief in sight. Saffron Howden posted a map.

Update (December 30, 2019):  Thomas Klikauer reports on the year in wildfires.

Literally, the burning question of global warming is overshadowing Christmas and the turn of the year from 2019 to 2020. The world is no longer celebrating the modest victories many governments have achieved. Even the few imaginary goals discussed at the climate summit in Madrid remain insufficient. With the help of the Japan, USA, Australia and Saudi Arabia, effective decisions on climate protection were killed off. Neither last year’s heat deaths nor the current devastating forest fires have led to greater commitment to climate change among the delegations of Japan, the USA, Brazil and Australia.

In other words, three countries – USA, Brazil and Australia – whose forest fires on the ground are having catastrophic consequences in recent days have not caused concern for global warming.

Update (December 31, 2019):  Red skies in Mallacoota, Australia as wildfire threatens to push people into the sea.

Update (January 2, 2020):  An estimated 500 million animals have died in the Australian fires.

Update (July 29, 2020):  It's now estimated that 3 billion animals died or were displaced in the fires.

This finding, revealed Tuesday in an interim report commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia, is nearly three times higher than an estimate in January. It’s based on a fire impact area of 28.3 million acres and is broken down into a staggering 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs.

Update (September 9, 2020):  Over 2 million acres have burned in California and the historically worst part of fire season is yet to come. Brazil is also facing a rough fire season. In central Washington State, the air quality index was well past hazardous for several hours two days ago.

Update (September 10, 2020):  Now with over 3 million acres burned and 6 of the 20 largest fires in California history, Nicole Karlis considers the future. She quotes Michael Mann:

This is climate change. The impacts of climate change are no longer subtle — we're witnessing them right now on our television screens as unprecedented wildfires engulf the west.

If we continue to add carbon pollution to the atmosphere and warm up the planet, we can expect ever larger, hotter-burning, faster-spreading wildfires.

Update (September 11, 2020):  Due to West Coast fires, today Portland, Seattle, Vancouver BC, and San Francisco have the worst air quality in the world. 

Update (August 13, 2021):  Massive fires in Siberia now cover more area than all other current fires in the world.