West on Fire

by Mike James

Parts of a half-dozen states are being charred by more than 70 wildfires. Over 3.3 million acres have burned in California this year, which is a modern record. This has occurred before the traditional fire season begins. Thus far thirty-five people have been killed and over 4,000 homes, farmhouses and wineries have already been destroyed. 

Over 14,000 firefighters were fighting fires from San Diego County in Southern California to the Creek fire in the center of the state. In September red-flag warnings, signaling a high fire threat, were up in much of California, Nevada, western Oregon and Washington, western Arizona and southern Utah.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Amy Scott of San Francisco takes in the view from the Embarcadero as smoke from various wildfires burning across Northern California mixes with the marine layer, blanketing San Francisco in darkness and an orange glow on September 9, 2020 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Philip Pacheco/Getty Images

“This could be the greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our state’s history,” Governor Kate Brown of Oregon said during a news conference on September 9. Thus far over a million acres have burned in Oregon. Half a million people (10 percent of the state’s population) have been evacuated from their homes.

In Washington state over 600,000 acres have burned—the largest burned area since the 2015 fire season.

Record high temperatures and dry vegetation are adding to the threat. Woodland Hills, a city in northern Los Angeles County, reached 121 degrees the first weekend of September. That is the highest temperature ever recorded in that county or any of the three counties directly north of it. 

Anticipating dangerous off-shore winds, Pacific Gas and Electric shut off power to 172,000 customers in several Wine country counties in early September. The company did this because it can be liable for fires started by its power lines and other equipment.

“We are altogether engaged, not only in this moment but in the medium and long term solutions to these extreme events that have almost been normalized here,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said during a briefing.

The Southern California fires are burning closer to larger towns and cities while the Creek fire in the western Sierras has proved to be the most intense, burning so hot and fast it sent plumes of smoke more than 50,000 feet into the air.

The Creek fire may be a sign of things to come. High temperatures in the area and a lack of significant rain since spring has laid the ground work for this fire. Historically, fires would burn in the Sierras every 50 to 150 years, naturally clearing the dead wood which served as fuel. Those fires have been corralled in recent decades, and the forests have thickened despite efforts to clear brush with controlled burns.

The California climate has shifted to one of extremes, where short wet seasons which feed vegetation across forest floors and in heavily wooded neighborhoods, are followed by intense heat. This year offshore winds have come ahead of schedule and are threatening to charge fires in Southern California.

“Now these forests are dense enough that when you have these dry fuels and a little fire, it’s a combination that creates the conditions for these catastrophic fires,” said Eric Vane, a U.S. Forest Service official at the Tahoe National Forest.

“We’re not catching up to where we need to be in terms of creating these more fire-adapted ecosystems,” Vane said. “This leads to a whole host of issues, including the ability of a forest to regenerate itself when there isn’t a living tree within a mile.”

Only twice in the last 70 years have more than 1.5 million acres burned in California. In 2018 about 1.6 million acres burned and this year we are already over 3.3 million acres.

“This year fits into a string of years that we’ve seen play out in California and other areas globally whereby warmer and drier fire seasons lead to drier fuels, and that provides a critical ingredient to fire activity,” said John Abatzoglou, an expert on fires and climate at the University of California at Merced.

Climate change is happening and it does play a part in the increased fire activity out west. How significant man’s role is in climate change is debated, but there is no doubt the climactic changes have increased the fire activity. God gave man dominion over the earth and its creatures (Genesis 1:20-31). Some of our activities like poaching, pollution, oil spills, etc. have had a negative impact on the earth and its creatures. Time will tell the extent of any damage the burning of fossil fuels is having. 

We can’t know for sure if God is punishing America with these increasing fires, but in Deuteronomy 28 among the cursings on Israel for not being obedient to God is scorching heat and drought (verse 22). Death Valley, California may have recorded the highest temperature on record this summer at 130 degrees.

Isaiah 35 speaks of the coming Kingdom of God. The prophet lets us know at that time the environment will reset and the thirsty ground will have bubbling springs. Let’s pray for that time to come as soon as possible.

Sources: “West Ablaze Before Start of Fire Season,” by Scott Wilson, The Washington Post, September 9, 2020.

“Oregon Residents Flee Fires Across State,” Samantha Schmidt, Scott Wilson and Chris Mooney, The Washington Post, September 10, 2020.

“Blazes Fueled by Climate Change Engulf Vast Region,” by Andrew Freedman and Karly Domb Sadof, The Washington Post, September 13, 2020.

“Ten Now Dead in Massive Northern California Wildfire,’ The Associated Press, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 11, 2020.

“Stunned Residents Tour Oregon Town Devastated by Wildfires,” The Associated Press, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 11, 2020.