Evacuation orders have been issued in California as the Boone Wildfire cuts a swathe across California’s belly.
The fire’s rapid expansion to double its size in the space of 24 hours on Wednesday was attributed to the desiccated condition that the region had been left in after a hot, dry summer in the Golden State.
Scope of Fire
The fire is one of the more significant of the season, and has burned down a large chunk of the California countryside.
Favorable conditions have meant that, as of the most recent reports, it has managed to reach across a total of almost 17000 acres.
Origin of the Fire
The fire originated on the outskirts of Coalinga, a small, Central Valley city of about 17000 people South-East of San Francisco.
It is named after Boone Lane, the suburban road net to which it was first reported just after noon on Tuesday, September 3.
Scorching Hot Cal Summer
The Boone Fire’s path of destruction was, in part, amplified by the condition the land had been left in after a hot, dry summer.
It was able to spread quickly due to the lack of moisture left over in the brush, wood and grassland that made up the valley floor in which it developed.
Further Development
By Wednesday, it had covered large parts of Fresno County, which led to evacuation orders being issued across many locations.
Fresno County Sheriff’s Office issued warnings, but, at the time, also pointed out that “the fire is in the Los Gatos Creek area, which features a lot of open land and few homes.”
Fire Still Rages
The fire continues to burn across Fresno, and parts of Monterey County, and several more evacuation orders were shared on Thursday.
It is aided not only by the dryness of the land, but also due to changing winds and high air temperatures, serving to keep the fire fueled and on the move.
Fire Department Response
CAL FIRE representative David Acuna said that firefighters are working hard to try to contain the fire in “its current box.”
He explained: “What we’ve been doing is we’ve been attacking the very top of it, that’s our first priority.”
Impacting Traffic
The fire has also been impacting traffic in the area by shutting down a major road, which the firefighters are also attempting to return to operation.
Firefighters at Highway 198 are hoping, ultimately, to join their efforts up with the other group of firefighters combatting it from the center.
Terrain Issues
The terrain is also causing issues for the relief effort. Much of the affected area is rough, and the fire is attacking steep slopes.
As a result, firefighters are turning into amateur hikers, although, where this is not possible, Acuna says “we just have to use aircraft, kind of hold it in place at the closest location.”
Pollution Across the Valley
Air quality is being negatively affected across much of the Central Valley area, and this has the potential to cause health issues, according to Valley Air District’s Heather Heinks.
Heinks says that the “particulate matter pollution” caused by the flames, when inhaled, “is going to affect all of your systems, and it’s not good for your health.”
