Lightning and Wind: How the West Coast Fires Got So Bad
2020-09-23
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1The lightning began in the skies over Northern and Central California one weekend in mid-August.
2It landed on grassy areas and vineyards.
3The U.S. National Weather Service warned that the dry lightning hitting dry land "could lead to new wildfire."
4It turned out to be a much bigger problem than expected.
5Thousands of lightning bolts caused hundreds of fires in California and at least one in Oregon.
6They led to some of the most destructive wildfires that the West Coast has seen in modern times.
7One month later, firefighters are still battling them.
8At least 35 people have died in California, Oregon and Washington.
9The wildfires have taken away people's "sense of security," said Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Jim Gersbach.
10"These (fires) burned so close to populated areas, driven by this wind - basically unstoppable," he added.
11The huge wildfires started a debate over whether climate change or a lack of good forest management was the bigger problem this time.
12Several studies have found that a warming planet increases the chances of extreme events - and increases their severity.
13But many experts have also argued that thinning forests and reducing the amount of dead leaves and other dry plant materials will give fire less fuel.
14Before the series of lightning strikes, the West Coast's fire season had been a little more severe than normal.
15In Oregon, officials had decided not to let the fires grow.
16They ordered even small fires to be covered quickly by aircraft.
17That way, large groups of firefighters would not be needed.
18The plan was meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Gersbach told The Associated Press.
19But then came the weekend of August 15 and 16.
20The National Weather Service reported that it had been an "insane 12 hours across the Bay Area" of San Francisco.
21During that period, lightning struck all around San Francisco's famous Bay Bridge.
22But that was just the first part of it.
23The second part came three weeks later, when another strange weather event happened.
24A very large high-pressure area developed all the way from Alaska to the desert in the Southwest.
25It brought summer snow to places like Denver, Colorado.
26It also pushed warm, dry wind toward the Pacific coast, said Greg Jones.
27He is a professor and climate science researcher at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon.
28Normally, the winds in early September go in the opposite direction, he noted.
29Those strong winds pushed the fires through trees and brush that had been drying out all summer.
30The winds caused the fires to explode in size.
31The fires quickly moved into towns and rural homes.
32Many locals could only flee with the clothes on their backs.
33Jones called the weather conditions "likely a once in a generation event."
34For the first time ever, five so-called megafires were burning at the same time in Oregon.
35A megafire is one that covers at least 405 square kilometers.
36Smoke covered the West Coast states, creating some of the most dangerous air quality in the world.
37Seattle's famous Space Needle building was mostly hidden by brown air particles.
38The smoke reached all the way across the United States and even into parts of Europe.
39Large groups of firefighters arrived, walking through blackened lands toward the flames.
40National Guard troops joined the effort.
41Even local residents tried to save homes by breaking firelines by hand and using digging and clearing trucks.
42Local resident Kerry Kuenzi got together with several other people to fight a huge fire in Scotts Mills, Oregon.
43He told The Oregonian newspaper that people have to come together in times like these because "it's like a war" out there.
44The Beachie Creek Fire he fought covered less than two square kilometers on September 7.
45But high winds and extremely dry plant material on the ground made the fire grow quickly.
46By the next day, it had spread across 530 square kilometers, fire officials said.
47New fires continued to start in California and Oregon.
48Burned lands and destroyed remains of mobile homes and other buildings could be seen everywhere.
49The flames were so intense that firefighters sometimes had to stop their work.
50"You cannot really stand there with a hose" when you have 48 kilometer-an-hour winds and dry fuels, Gersbach said.
51Firefighters from across the U.S. and Canada have hurried to the area to help fight the blazes.
52As of September 22, there were close to 19,000 firefighters in California fighting more than 27 major wildfires.
53Also as of September 22, close to 8,500 firefighters were fighting 23 large wildfires in Oregon and Washington.
54The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says that more than 1.2 million hectares have burned this year in the state - more than ever before.
55In Oregon, about 400,000 hectares have burned since the start of this year.
56Residents are hoping for rain to wash away the wildfire smoke.
57In Oregon, rains over much of the state late last week helped battle wildfires but did not put them out.
58Northern California remains dry though calming winds and lower temperatures - caused in part by the smoke blocking the sun - have helped firefighters.
59Small amounts of rain are predicted for far northern California and the Sierra Nevada mountains.
60I'm Jonathan Evans.
61And I'm Alice Bryant.
1The lightning began in the skies over Northern and Central California one weekend in mid-August. It landed on grassy areas and vineyards. 2The U.S. National Weather Service warned that the dry lightning hitting dry land "could lead to new wildfire." 3It turned out to be a much bigger problem than expected. 4Thousands of lightning bolts caused hundreds of fires in California and at least one in Oregon. They led to some of the most destructive wildfires that the West Coast has seen in modern times. 5One month later, firefighters are still battling them. At least 35 people have died in California, Oregon and Washington. 6The wildfires have taken away people's "sense of security," said Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Jim Gersbach. "These (fires) burned so close to populated areas, driven by this wind - basically unstoppable," he added. 7The huge wildfires started a debate over whether climate change or a lack of good forest management was the bigger problem this time. Several studies have found that a warming planet increases the chances of extreme events - and increases their severity. But many experts have also argued that thinning forests and reducing the amount of dead leaves and other dry plant materials will give fire less fuel. 8Before the series of lightning strikes, the West Coast's fire season had been a little more severe than normal. In Oregon, officials had decided not to let the fires grow. They ordered even small fires to be covered quickly by aircraft. That way, large groups of firefighters would not be needed. The plan was meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Gersbach told The Associated Press. 9But then came the weekend of August 15 and 16. 10The National Weather Service reported that it had been an "insane 12 hours across the Bay Area" of San Francisco. During that period, lightning struck all around San Francisco's famous Bay Bridge. 11But that was just the first part of it. 12The second part came three weeks later, when another strange weather event happened. 13A very large high-pressure area developed all the way from Alaska to the desert in the Southwest. It brought summer snow to places like Denver, Colorado. It also pushed warm, dry wind toward the Pacific coast, said Greg Jones. He is a professor and climate science researcher at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. Normally, the winds in early September go in the opposite direction, he noted. 14Those strong winds pushed the fires through trees and brush that had been drying out all summer. The winds caused the fires to explode in size. The fires quickly moved into towns and rural homes. Many locals could only flee with the clothes on their backs. 15Jones called the weather conditions "likely a once in a generation event." 16For the first time ever, five so-called megafires were burning at the same time in Oregon. A megafire is one that covers at least 405 square kilometers. 17Smoke covered the West Coast states, creating some of the most dangerous air quality in the world. Seattle's famous Space Needle building was mostly hidden by brown air particles. The smoke reached all the way across the United States and even into parts of Europe. 18Large groups of firefighters arrived, walking through blackened lands toward the flames. National Guard troops joined the effort. Even local residents tried to save homes by breaking firelines by hand and using digging and clearing trucks. 19Local resident Kerry Kuenzi got together with several other people to fight a huge fire in Scotts Mills, Oregon. He told The Oregonian newspaper that people have to come together in times like these because "it's like a war" out there. 20The Beachie Creek Fire he fought covered less than two square kilometers on September 7. But high winds and extremely dry plant material on the ground made the fire grow quickly. By the next day, it had spread across 530 square kilometers, fire officials said. 21New fires continued to start in California and Oregon. Burned lands and destroyed remains of mobile homes and other buildings could be seen everywhere. 22The flames were so intense that firefighters sometimes had to stop their work. "You cannot really stand there with a hose" when you have 48 kilometer-an-hour winds and dry fuels, Gersbach said. 23Firefighters from across the U.S. and Canada have hurried to the area to help fight the blazes. As of September 22, there were close to 19,000 firefighters in California fighting more than 27 major wildfires. Also as of September 22, close to 8,500 firefighters were fighting 23 large wildfires in Oregon and Washington. 24The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says that more than 1.2 million hectares have burned this year in the state - more than ever before. In Oregon, about 400,000 hectares have burned since the start of this year. 25Residents are hoping for rain to wash away the wildfire smoke. In Oregon, rains over much of the state late last week helped battle wildfires but did not put them out. Northern California remains dry though calming winds and lower temperatures - caused in part by the smoke blocking the sun - have helped firefighters. Small amounts of rain are predicted for far northern California and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 26I'm Jonathan Evans. 27And I'm Alice Bryant. 28Andrew Selsky wrote this story for The Associated Press. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 29_______________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31vineyard - n. a field where grapes are grown 32bolt - n. a bright line of light that appears in the sky during a storm 33management - n. the act or skill of controlling and making decisions about a business, department or something else 34Bay Area - n. an area in Northern California including the city of San Francisco and surrounding counties 35brush - n. wood from small branches on a tree 36flame - n. a state of burning brightly 37resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place 38mobile - adj. able to be moved 39hose - n. a long, usually rubber tube that liquids or gases can flow through