California wildfires could burn until December, bigger, hotter fires are expected: Experts

Devastating wildfires in California have scorched over 1 lakh acres of land in less than a week. As several fires burn simultaneously, thick smoke has engulfed homes, mountains and choked people in the northern parts. While the explosive fires have converted the state into a charred black landscape, the experts warn that the worst is yet to come. "Here we are- it's not the end of August, and the size and distribution and destruction of summer 2021 wildfires does not bode well for the next months," AP quoted Bill Deverell, a history professor at the University of Southern California. The fires are expected to get "hotter, bigger, more worrisome," added Professor Deverell. 

The wildfires that have erupted due to an extreme drought situation in the past two years are now being fuelled by gusty winds and parched vegetative lands. According to the U.S Drought Monitor, with much of California experiencing exceptional dry climate and high-intensity drought, "large fires in the north could burn into early December," Anthony Scardina, deputy regional forester for the Forest Service told AP.

'Climate change has contributed to extreme weather conditions in the past 30 years' 

Additionally, high temperatures and low humidity have also enabled the blazes to cover a distance of 40 miles at a go along the highway that links Sacramento to Lake Tahoe, reported AP. The dryness has prevented the fire from dousing in the dark; instead, fires expand more rapidly during the night, Bill added. As per scientists, climate change has contributed to extreme weather conditions in the past 30 years. As a result, the scientists mentioned, the Western United States is expected to witness and experience more destructive wildfires in the coming years.

Wildfires continue to burn down acres of land in California

The northern California wildfires burnt two mountain communities into mulch. Fuelled by the wind, it has continued to expand through the Sierra Nevada. The Dixie Fire ignited on July 13, has converted the historic Gold-rush era town of Greenville into an ash land. A city of about 18,000 is now just a cemetery for the debris leftover from burnt houses and bushes. Last but not least, the explosive growth of the Caldor Fire that erupted a few miles southeast has ravaged through Grizzly Flats and forced about 1,200 forest community people to evacuate their homes. As of Monday, fires had smouldered about 142,477 acres in the state. 

With inputs from AP

Image Credit: AP