Many fires are near full containment with many firemen working hard since wildfires have destroyed and damaged many homes. On October 27th, around 90,000 people were told to evacuate overnight because the Silverado and Blue Ridge Fires had doubled in size.

On Thursday, October 29th, the evacuation orders were revoked and most of the fire was contained. A total of 31 confirmed deaths, 37 non-fatal injuries and a total of 4,149,345 acres burned have been reported.

Containing the Fire

Before the fire can be extinguished, it must be contained. The containment of the fire is not about how much of the fire is left ablaze, but how much of it is controlled from spreading further. This means creating proximity around the fire and preventing the forest fire from spreading so they can take out the fire without the fear of it growing stronger. This process takes time, but it is necessary to limit the spread of the fire and keep the firefighters safe.

“Research has shown that over 60% of homes destroyed during a wildfire are due to wind-blown embers,” The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. “Flying embers from a fire can destroy homes up to a mile away. Take necessary measures to harden/Prepare your home to increase its chance of surviving a wildfire.”

The August Complex Fire was the largest recorded wildfire in Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, Trinity, and Shasta Counties in California. The total size amounted to 1,032,648 acres. The fire started because of lightning strikes and originated as 38 separate fires that morphed together.

August Complex

• Contained
• Two injured and one death
• Burned 1,032,648 acres
• 54 structures destroyed and six damaged
• Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests

Silverado Fire

• Contained
• Two injured
• Burned 12,466 acres
• Five structures destroyed and nine damaged
• Santa Ana mountains, Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads

Blue Ridge Fire

• Contained
• Burned 13,694 acres
• Ten structures damaged and one destroyed
• Orange and San Bernardino counties

Zogg Fire

• Contained
• Four deaths
• Burned 56,338 acres
• Over 200 structures destroyed
• Towns of Igo and Ono in Shasta Northern California

Why are wildfires active for so long?

One of the main reasons for the wildfires is a lack of rainfall and warmer than usual temperatures.

“The wildfires are consuming nearly 1 million acres of forest in a month, a record-breaker.” Department of Forest and Fire Protection said.

A total of 8,834 wildfires took place since the outbreak of wildfires in California. The California Fire Department worked hard and provided resources to its firefighters with updated equipment, vehicles and helicopters. 

More Information?

People that want to stay up to date on more events covering the wildfires can visit https://www.fire.ca.gov for up to date posts on the wildfires, containment levels and more.