A fast-moving fire burning near the Yosemite National Park was witnessed. The wildfire grew and went out of control as reported on Sunday.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire reported that a wildfire grew into one of California’s largest fires of the year.
According to state fire officials, the Oak Fire erupted on Friday afternoon and had expanded to 15,600 acres which is more than half the size of Paris as of Sunday night.
To combat the Oak Fire, more than 2,000 firemen in number and 17 helicopters, aircraft, and bulldozers were sent to back them.
The possible Cause of wildfire
The Cal Fire representative informed that the fuel moisture levels were extremely and dangerously low and she further noted that due to the dry conditions, it became simple small blazes to catch, causing fire to grow more.
However, the reasons for what started the fire are still continue to be under investigation.
Despite having strong firefighting personnel on the site early on, according to Cal Fire authorities, the fire progressed unusually and outpaced their best efforts.
Above 6,000 people were evacuated, with that ten properties demolished, while five more were damaged.
The firemen find it difficult to put out the fires because of the amount of heat in that fuel is so much making it a significant problem as stated by Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jon Heggie.
According to Cal Fire, the fire broke out Friday at 2:00 pm close to the Midpines settlement in Mariposa County.
The people who were evacuated reported that they could see ashes around them and it appeared to them it was just above their house. Furthermore, they mentioned that it was coming very quickly.
On Saturday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Mariposa County.
What the climate advocate has to say
A point to be observed was the fact that 85 million Americans in more than a dozen states were under a weekend heat advisory as evidence of global warming elsewhere in the nation.
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. or Al Gore, the former President of the U.S., who is also an environmentalist, issued stern concerns Sunday about “inaction” by US lawmakers in response to the catastrophe.
“Mother Nature has already deemed it a worldwide emergency,” he stated on ABC News.
Wildfires near Yosemite National Park in the past few weeks
It was witnessed to be the third wildfire to explode in the county over the past few weeks in California.
After burning more than 4,800 acres, the Washburn Fire, which began on July 7 near the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park, is 79 % contained.
The park’s southern entrance could be opened on Saturday morning because of the fire’s containment, which at one point was dangerously near Mariposa Grove, the park’s largest sequoia grove.
After consuming about 420 acres, the smaller Agua Fire, which erupted on July 18, is now completely contained. Officials claimed that an automobile started the fire.
The seriousness of the situation: Environment is in danger and so are we
A one-hour drive from Mariposa County, in Yosemite, are some of the world’s oldest and largest sequoia trees.
California is now more susceptible to wildfires than ever because of more than 20 years of drought and rising temperatures, with the two worst years on record occurring in 2020 and 2021, when more than 6.8 million acres (2.75 million hectares), an area larger than Rwanda, burnt.
According to scientists, extreme weather conditions will persist, and wildfires will continue to be more frequent, destructive, and unpredictable.
More than 3,100 local homes and businesses have been without power as of Sunday, according to Pacific Gas & Electric, and there was no word on when it would be restored.
As flames raged Friday, PG&E stated that it was unable to access the damaged infrastructure.
Extreme heat waves have recently affected many parts of the world, including Western Europe in July and India in March and April. According to scientists, these occurrences are an undeniable indication that the planet’s temperature is rising.
It’s a high time wherein we start realizing the utmost gravity of the situation and taking respective measures to combat the alarming situation of climate change before the problem aggravates further because if the environment is in danger then so are we equally or even more.
Read More: Emergency issued due to wildfire raging in Yosemite National Park
