![]() ![]() All of our information comes from the firelines and must be approved by the Incident Commander in charge of managing the incident prior to release. This site provides general information concerning an incident. We make every effort to provide accurate and complete information, however the data is subject to review and change. Story by Mike Carlowicz.Information presented on the departments website is a representation of the existing wildfire situation, based on the information readily available to CAL FIRE. NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using MODIS data from LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. That fire was fanned by strong gusts of Santa Ana winds. Though it is not visible in this imagery, wildfires also broke out on October 9 in Southern California’s Orange County. Californians have built in what are historical fire corridors, and these high-density developments are particularly vulnerable to fast-moving, destructive fires.” “The fires erupted in areas where wildlands meet urban and suburban development. “The simple formula is fuel-plus-meteorology-plus-ignition equals fire. These downslope winds can quickly whip up a fire and carry burning embers to the next neighborhood or patch of woodland. Winds blow from northeast to southwest over California’s mountain ranges and down through the valleys and coastal regions. These Diablo winds are driven by atmospheric high-pressure systems over the Great Basin (mostly in Nevada). The fall season also typically brings hot, dry, and gusty winds. ![]() “Last winter’s welcome rains created more vegetation that, over the past six months, created more fuel.” “After more than a decade of drought, the fuel levels-dry brush and grasses-across California are exceptionally high,” said William Patzert, a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. While the causes of the fires are still under investigation, we do know what helped them spread quickly: abundant dried vegetation and seasonal wind patterns. As of the morning of October 10, none of the fires were even partially contained, according to CalFire bulletins. Authorities are still accounting for deaths and people reported missing. Cellular and land-line phone communications have been lost in several areas. In some places, entire neighborhoods burned to the ground. About two hours later, the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the second view.ĬalFire and local officials reported that at least 1,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed, and thousands more are being threatened. In the late morning of October 9, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a natural-color image (top) of the smoke billowing from the fires. The densely populated “wine country” is famous for its vineyards and wine-making operations and the tourists they attract. ![]() States of emergency have been declared in Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, and Mendocino counties, and thousands of people were asked to evacuate. Blazes that started on a few hundred acres around Napa Valley were fanned by strong northeasterly winds, and by October 10, the 14 fires had consumed as much as 100,000 acres (150 square miles) of land. Parts of northern California have been ravaged by intense and fast-burning wildfires that broke out on October 8, 2017. ![]()
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