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California Wild Fires

* State: California

Unique identifier: GP02IXY

Type: Image

Shoot date: 02/09/2009

Locations: California, Los Angeles, North America, United States of America

Credit line: © Hector Mata / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★★ (C)

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Documentation: Los Angeles Wildfires (2009)

Extremely dry conditions and dry vegetation fuelled the spread of the wildfires that destroyed homes and burned some 140, 000 acres in the Los Angeles area in late August and early September prompting Gov. Arnold Swarzenegger to declare a State of Emergency in Los Angeles, Monterrey, Placer and Mariposa counties. As of Sept. 3, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported the Station fire, one of three in the Los Angles area at the time, burned more than 140,150 acres, and was 28% contained. Two firefighters were reported to have died fighting the blaze and six people injured. Some 64 homes were destroyed along with three commercial buildings, and 27 outbuildings. 9 residences and 3 outbuildings damaged.
Some 10,000 residences, 500 commercial and 2,000 outbuildings remain threatened. These follow destructive wildfires in southern California in 2007. Although no one weather event is evidence of climate change, more frequent and more violent fires are predicted as hotter, drier conditions become normal in the region due to impacts of global warming.

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