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hatrack

(59,436 posts)
Wed Mar 22, 2017, 08:57 AM Mar 2017

Through Mid-March, Fires Have Already Burned 2 Million Acres In US - 1000% Of Historic Averages

Last edited Wed Mar 22, 2017, 10:33 AM - Edit history (1)

Wildfire season, or the period between spring and late fall when dry weather, heat, and ignition sources make wildfires more likely, is already off to a devastating start, with fires already burning through a combined 2 million acres across the country — ten times the average for mid-March. According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, more acreage has already burned in 2017 than burned during the entire fire season in 1989, 1993, and 1998.

Record-high temperatures combined with low humidity and high wind have created the ideal environment for wildfires throughout much of the Great Plains and into the West, destroying homes and property and resulting in several deaths.

Late last week, a blaze near Boulder, Colorado, forced hundreds to evacuate from their homes. The fire, which burned 74 acres, was fully contained as of Monday. But the containment comes at a cost — according to the Denver Post, it cost firefighters $500,000 to fight the fire. Officials speculated that the fire was caused by human activity. Earlier this month, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) declared a state of emergency in 22 Oklahoma counties, after wildfires burned through 400,000 acres in the state. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly three-quarters of the state is currently in drought conditions.

EDIT

The influence of climate change on wildfires is well-documented. Rising temperatures, combined with prolonged drought throughout the West, has prompted wildfires to spread across 16,000 more square miles than the otherwise would have — an area larger than Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. And over the last three decades, wildfire season has also gotten longer — as global temperatures have increased, wildfire season lasts on average 78 days longer.

EDIT

https://thinkprogress.org/wildfire-season-begins-with-a-blaze-69b24a36b38b#.bl48kbtoz

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