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CALIFORNIA has seen a quiet start to the summer wildfire season this year, but fire activity picked up during the weekend heat wave with several blazes igniting.
Most of the fires were put out or have remained small, but the Rabbit fire burning near the community of Lakeview, at the east of Los Angeles, grew rapidly in the heat.
The fire had covered about 3,352 hectares (8,283 acres) as of Tuesday morning.
This is according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
“It is the largest wildfire burning in California.’’
Some of the other active fires in the state include the nine hectare Lodoga Fire in Colusa County and the 137 hectare Gavilan Fire.
Also the 177 hectare Reche Fire in Riverside County and the 334 hectare Pika Fire in Yosemite National Park.
The Rabbit Fire ignited on Friday afternoon at the start of a heat event that sent inland temperatures in Southern California soaring into the triple digits (in Fahrenheit).
Lakeview hit a high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius) on Saturday and 39.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
More heat is on the way this week with Lakeview forecast to hit a high of 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and 41.7 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The fire exploded over the weekend, triggering evacuations.
There were 152 structures threatened by the fire as of Tuesday morning.
The fire was burning in tall grasses and brush and in steep terrain, making access difficult for fire crews.
Temperatures on Monday were cooler than they were over the weekend and the fire had minimal growth overnight, allowing crews to build containment lines, Cal Fire said.
Containment jumped up to 45 per cent.
The agency posted a time-lapse on Tuesday, showing its growth since Friday and massive clouds of smoke rising above the burn area.
“The combination of dry fuels, topography, and weather provides the right conditions for such fire behavior and growth.
“Just watching the video, you realize that it doesn’t take much for a wildland fire to make its presence known,’’ Cal Fire said.
Wildfire season runs year-round in California, but fire activity usually increases in late spring and early summer before peaking August through October.
That didn’t happen this year due to the unusually wet winter and a cooler-than-average start to spring and summer.
But with the recent heat wave, things were starting to shift as the massive winter snowpack melted and vegetation dried out.
More heat is on the way this week, especially in Southern California, where above-normal temperatures are forecast into next week. (dpa/NAN)
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July 19, 2023 @ 11:53 GMT|
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