Forest Fires increase in intensity

by Guillermo Alvarado

According to the latest reports, five people have died, more than a thousand structures, most of them homes, have been destroyed and at least 4,775 hectares of land in Los Angeles have been reduced to ashes by the intense fires in this area of California.

The emergency is far from over, and the human and material costs could be much higher in an area where such disasters are not uncommon, but have increased in recent years due to the effects of climate change.

To give an idea of the magnitude of this tragedy, firefighters reported that the flames were spreading at the rate of 5 football fields per minute, which is hard to imagine.

Thousands of people obeyed the order to evacuate, but this was complicated by the fact that the roads were clogged and people abandoned their cars and started walking in search of a safe place, some carrying suitcases.

The abandoned cars also made the roads obstructed for rescue workers, who had no way to move forward, so it was necessary to bring in front-end loaders to pile the cars on the shore to clear a path for firefighters and medical personnel.

Hollywood, the main film center of the United States, was hit by the disaster, only now off-camera, in a stark reminder that reality can be worse than fiction.

Basically, the conditions for these incidents to occur are, first, that there is a lot of flammable material in the wooded areas, usually tall, dense underbrush that is very dry from long periods of heat; second, that there is a dry, warm wind in disorderly gusts that follow no pattern.

Third, the relative humidity is very low, and if you want a fourth ingredient, it is human behavior that does not respect the boundary between urban areas and the forest.

Except for the last one, which is very serious, all the others fit perfectly into the pattern of climate change, which, mind you, is also linked to the irrational production and consumption patterns of our species.

There is no doubt that the loss of loved ones or their injuries, as well as the disappearance of precious goods, represent a misfortune for people that is sometimes irreparable and painful.

But it is also true that nature has shown enough signs that it can no longer bear the pressure we put on it, and is responding by obeying its own rules, even if some, including the next president of the United States, insist on denying it.