Over the past month, record-breaking fires have been raging across the West coast. They are said to be the worst fires in the past 18 years. Over 30 people have died and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from their homes. More than 5 million acres have been burnt down in California, Oregon and Washington combined.
The fires are said to have been ignited by lightning strikes in August, and the hot, dry conditions have only fueled the fires. Climate change is said to be one of the main factors for the massive growth in the capability of the fires this year, as it dries out the air and increases the temperature. Five of the top 20 largest fires ever recorded in California have occurred within 2020.
“When I lived in California last year, I had to evacuate and move to Santa Barbara for two weeks,” junior Joseph Warwick said. “We didn’t have school for weeks, and fall finals were cancelled. The school had to clean the debris off the campus before we could return.”
The rapid Bear Fire filled the atmosphere with so much smoke that the sky in the Bay Area had been lit a luminous amber. The vast amount of smoke produced from the fires this year have travelled in air currents across the Atlantic Ocean and clouded skies in Europe.
California is encountering some extremely unhealthy and hazardous air, which can be linked to major health issues. The polluted air can cause inflammation inside the body and can also affect the cardiovascular, respiratory and circulation systems. Firefighters are prone to these issues, as well as long term problems such as strokes and heart attacks.
“My grandmother lives very close to the areas evacuated due to fires,” junior Lily Strickland said. “It makes me stressed because she is more vulnerable to health problems because of her age.”
During wildfires, hospitals have an influx of patients suffering with respiratory problems. To make matters worse, areas that have been affected by the fires have also seen an increase of Covid-19 cases. Symptoms between Covid-19 and wildfire-exposure are similar, as they can both be linked to respiratory problems. However, they are not the same because after better air exposure wildfire symptoms improve, while Covid 19 symptoms. Although heavy exposure to the smoke can reduce the strength in your lungs and make people more susceptible to the virus. It is safe to say healthcare workers have the knowledge to differentiate cases and won’t misdiagnose patients.
“I think the wildfires in California are very worrisome for multiple reasons—first because of the threat to humans, but also due to their intensity and frequency,” AP Environmental Science teacher Mrs. Kline said. “Evidence suggests that they are becoming more frequent and intense due to a wide variety of human activities, including but not limited to climate change (due to fossil fuel burning) as well as the lack of forest management (including controlled burns).”
California’s wildfire season usually ends around October; however, with the force of these fires, the true end is unknown.