Frightening new wildfires hit California
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the biggest of these is the Wolf fire which began on Sunday near Banning in Riverside County. It quickly spread to cover over 2,400 acres and led to evacuations and road closures. By Tuesday morning, the fire was 35% contained. More than 900 firefighters have been tackling the flames and three of them have been injured according to California's fire department, Cal Fire.
The fire started near Old Idyllwild Road and Wolfskill Truck Trail, threatening "over 4,200 buildings in the area", reports say. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
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Evacuation orders were still in place on Monday for parts of Banning and Cabazon, south of the Interstate 10.
A shelter for people forced to leave their homes has been set up at Hemet High School, and animals can be taken to a site in nearby San Jacinto.
Officials have also warned that these fires could be a sign of what's to come this summer and autumn as after a dry winter and spring, California is heading into what could be a hot and dangerous few months.
Wildfires have become more common and more severe in California over the past few years including the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people.
The Axios article "San Diego is seeing more weather that fuels wildfires" explains this, and why fires are harder to control due to climate change.
There are now more days each year with hot, dry and windy conditions which is the kind of weather that helps fires spread according to findings.
Experts say rising temperatures are drying out plants and trees, making fires more likely and more dangerous and likely to spread quickly.
In 2020, California saw a record-breaking year with more than four million acres of land burned.
It can often be difficult to draw direct conclusions about climate change as fires are happening, but even here in Wales we have been told that a hotter climate is likely affecting the severity of fires seen here. You can read more about the situation in Wales, here.
With summer just beginning, California's fire crews and communities may be in for another very challenging season.
The 'Ready, Set, Go!' programme is designed to walk residents and people visiting the area through the steps to take to ensure you are prepared in the case of an approaching wildfire in California. You can find out more about advice to people in the area via the Los Angeles Fire Department's website here.
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