Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sadie Hershenow
Holland
+English ll
19 February 2018
Catherine Barnett was fast asleep when she received a call from her work telling
her to escape her house to ensure that she would be safe. Red flames stretched across
the night sky at 2 a.m. It was like rush hour, frazzled people trying to get out as fast as
they could. Luckily, help was given to the many people who lost their home. After that,
cities wouldn’t be lively again for three days. 1No one was seen walking around without
a face mask; they were a common accessory. Many people of California experience
Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest Utah Climate Center illustrate that there is a big
divide in fire risks relating from human activity and that of those caused by natural
climate (Yoon S7). Also, global warming is a huge factor in the wildfires California
experiences every day. These recent ones move from the countryside to cities, making
them extremely deadly and destructful (“California’s Wine Country”). The hotter the
summer, the more fuel there is to concoct fires with strong winds and extreme heat.
This past summer was the hottest on record (“Deadly Fires Up North”). As for the future,
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in 2014, studies predicted that the continuous fires would continue into 2015 (Yoon S5).
Its 2018 and there is still a rapid increase in the amount of wildfires.
The California wildfires cause death and destruction, with no sign of stopping.
This can be solved by preparation in order to save lives, as well as prevention that can
bring forth an end to global warming. On the other hand, doing nothing while knowing
One consequence from these fires is the continuous deaths that happen. For
ews says that this series of fires happening now are the deadliest in the
instance, CBS n
state’s history, taking 42 lives (“A Rising Toll”). Despite the rising toll, not much attention
is being paid to them. This is just a general number, but some specific families have
been affected. For example, in December, Cory Iverson, a 32-year-old firefighter died in
the Thomas fire north of Fillmore in Ventura County. He was a firefighter for eight years,
had a pregnant wife and a 2-year-old daughter (Gonzalez). This man was taken by a
fire, leaving behind the rest of his life. This is just one of many stories that show how
people are being lost, hurt, and overall affected greatly by the fires. 2When will it end?
These are absolutely a big deal, for they keep take people’s lives and there isn’t much
being done to stop that. For example, an article called “A Rising Toll” said that “in Los
Angeles, a charred body was found on Mount Wilson, where crews were trying to
surround a smoldering wildfire in steep terrain.” Many die from trying to escape the
horrorous fires, even some firefighters can’t make it out alive. If these fires don’t come
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to a halt, or at least become less severe, more people will die. Yet, the multiple deaths
are not the only thing not getting the attention they deserve.
Such as, many things are being sacrificed besides human lives. These fires take
down crops, homes, and buildings as well. The Thomas fire destroyed over 900
structures, 730 of those being homes. It was predicted to demolish 18,000 more
buildings as well (Gonzalez). The wildfires in California have destroyed things that
people keep so close to their hearts. It’s where they live or where they work; it’s their
life. After she experienced the fire, Catherine Barnett said “it is not exaggerating to say
that everyone knows someone who has lost a home” where there is about 500,000
residents. The people of California are suffering from a lot of loss that others do not
seem to know or care about. Though many people’s homes were destroyed, that’s not
the only thing. Aside from housing, insurance covered 150 agricultural equipment losses
and 3,000 vehicle losses. There was also 39 boats lost (“A Rising Toll”). California
thrives on crops from wineries, but that will not be possible if so much agricultural
equipment is lost. What people love to do and make a living off of is getting lost in the
clouds of smoke surrounding these wildfires. The buildings and homes can all be built
again, but it doesn’t mean anything if the fires can just tear them down. Various
buildings and structures are being destroyed by the fires, and it is getting expensive.
All of this destruction and loss of lives isn’t cheap. The California wildfires are
extremely expensive to take care of. Firefighting costs are estimated to have cost at
least $82.1 million with over 8,300 firefighters working on putting the fires out
(Gonzalez). The people fighting the fires have to be rewarded for their bravery, and they
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can’t insure that everything will get out of the fire will be safe. Anything lost costs
money. At least $1 billion have been lost in Northern California from insuring property
(“A Rising Toll”). Most of the property lost in the fires is insured, but the money to pay
that off has to come from somewhere meaning that the insurance companies are having
to produce so much money to keep up. Obviously, California has had horrendous
expensive wildfires before. The Oakland Hills fire cost about $2.8 billion after adding
inflation. That fire in 1991 knocked down half as many structures as today’s series of
fires (“A Rising Toll”). In comparison, today’s fires cost much more than the very famous
Oakland hills fire. Things have changed since then, and more houses and structures
have been built in places that probably would not have been taken out by that fire.
These fires aren’t stopping. It has been over 25 years since the Oakland Hills fire, yet
homes are still being destroyed and money is still being lost.
Some people may argue that the fires have to just happen and that there is
nothing that can be done to stop them because it is natural. 3The past wildfires have
always been easy to overcome; today’s, life changing. An article written by Los Angeles
Times said “those superstorms that scientists warned would result from climate
change? They are here” (“Deadly Fires Up North”). 4This environmental issue can not
be taken lightly; there’s too much at stake, but people excuse the fires like they are
normal. Nature is natural, and these fires are not. After all, they’ve been happening for
years. Today’s fires have been more destructive than past fires, like the Oakland Hills,
Cedar, and Station fires in 1991, 2003, and 2009 (“Deadly Fires Up North”). All of these
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fires demolished many structures and took lives, but the ones today are the worst. And
it will not change unless something is done. It would make a difference if there was
more awareness for them. California areas are engulfed by these seasonal wildfires that
have become the deadliest in state history, but they still receive barely any attention
(Barnett). The wildfires can be stopped, but that takes a force of change that will not
come if people don’t do not take action. Sitting back and pretending like all of this is
interesting conspiracy theory that ISIS is responsible for all of these wildfires taking
place. ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the fires even though they were eager to
share the news that they were happening (O’Connor). Some believe that because the
terrorist group made the news of the fires known, that means they caused them.
Though terrorist do enjoy letting others know what horrible things they’ve done, sharing
news on a topic does not claim their responsibility. 5A user of of a pro-ISIS channel
posted a picture of a fire and two plastic bottles of liquid; however, it most likely had to
do with other wildfires in Portugal and Spain (O’Connor). There are other wildfires going
on in the world, not just in California. ISIS targets countries globally, so there is no proof
that they caused all of the destruction taking place. That is what they want people to
believe. Members of ISIS claim what they do is for the sake of their religion. A man sent
a video to Newsweek saying that Muslims had celebrated over the extreme hurricane
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(O’Connor). 6People may justify that ISIS believes wrongdoers must be punished; the
fires are their punishment; however, this is not credible. However, people have different
beliefs and the terrorist’s view is not the only one there is.
One main cause of the wildfires is the global warming that is taking place, for it is
jeopardizing today’s environment. Many people are not treating the problem like it is.
Global warming needs to be seen as an issue worldwide. Effective U.S. leadership and
action is essential but so are global efforts (“Global Warming Solutions”). Though
California is just one state, that’s who experiences this impact, meaning that the whole
world has to recognize the problem if there’s a chance to a solution. The Union of
Concerned Scientists suggests that people need to expand use of renewable energy,
limit amount of carbon polluters can release, and reduce tropical deforestation in order
to reduce emissions put in the atmosphere (“Global Warming Solutions”). There are
ways to end the rapidness of global warming; people just have to do it. California
recognizes it and so does their government. An article from Los Angeles Times says
that “California is fortunate to have a governor who understands the perils of ignoring
climate change and aggressively pushing policies to mitigate its future harm” (“Deadly
Fires Up North”). Global warming is happening, and there needs to be a way to stop it. 7
Once the fires start, it is difficult to stop them from causing harm which is why
people must try very hard to prevent them in the first place. In order for the fire’s to get
so massive and deadly, they need fuel. Strong fire suppression has crippled the natural
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burn cycle in California’s wooded areas meaning there is more fuel for the fire’s to grow
(“Deadly Fires Up North”). This is making it easier for them to be so destructive, and
that can be prevented if there is not a forceful end. After a fire is started, it must be put
out as fast as possible. Long-line helicopters pick up water in a nearby water source
then drop the 600-gallon buckets into the the fire which can knock out most of the part
that is threatening homes (O’Neil). Firefighters work very hard to save people’s lives
from the fires because they care about making sure everyone is safe. Fires start and the
only thing to do is put them out which is why it is very important that they are knocked
out at the initial cause. 8Weather disasters are mostly fueled by this one overall idea:
global warming is changing the nature of the world. This is why “policy makers must
Solutions”). Pollution is a major cause to the climate change happening in our world
today, and strong emissions of gas and chemicals being put into the air is a huge factor
in that. Fires must be prevented if there can ever be a decrease. They will not go away
on their own.
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Not only is prevention very important, but also preparation for a time of fire. The
state of California obviously knows these wildfires are an issue, so everyone needs to
be prepared when the time of one might come to them personally. Extreme fire risk is
expected to increase in the future even though there is lack of change in fire probability
and annual precipitation (Yoon S8). There is no sign of these fires stopping, so
everyone needs to know what to do in a situation where one will happen. Catherine
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Barnett said that when she was younger, her mom and her had to leave their house in
the middle of the night to escape from a fire; they reached safety at her aunt’s house.
She knew that she had to save her own life and that meant leaving her home in hopes
that it would still be okay later. Homes were built in the same area that a fire blazed
through in 1964. Plans have been made since to help ensure safety to those living in
the area (Barnett). People know that there’s still a chance a fire can take out homes, but
they choose to build them there anyway. 10To be able to make that risk, they have to be
Preparation, prevention, and an end to global warming are all very important
things that need to happen in order for the wildfires to stop. Though it can be a difficult
task to accomplish, action needs to be taken if there can be any progress through
environmental awareness. Choosing to not take action or placing blame on others are
two things that will not help in any way. The fires are causing extreme expense and
multiple deaths along with insane destruction or structures all across the state. To sum
up, terrible things are happening because of these continuous and strong wildfires, and
it is possible to stop them. People need to be aware and start strategizing in order to
make a difference. Tim Chavez told Los Angeles Times, “there’s a lot of fire out there”
(Gonzales) and that’s really the best way it can be put. There is a lot of fire out there,
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Works Cited
Barnett, Catherine. “In California’s Wine Country, Reckoning With an Inferno.” New York
“California Fires: A Rising Toll in Deaths and Dollars.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 20
Oct. 2017.
Gonzales, Richard. “Firefighter Dies in California Wildfire, Now The 4th Largest In The
Martin, Michel, and Stephanie O'Neill. “SoCal Wildfires: The Latest And What's Next.”
O'Connor, Tom. “ISIS Celebrates California Wildfires Death Toll as Supporters Suggest
"The Deadly Fires Up North." Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct, 2017, pp. A. 12, SIRS Issues
Researcher.
YOON, JIN-HO, et al. "Extreme Fire Season in California: A Glimpse into the Future?."