California wildfires have gotten much worse over the last two decades, researchers say. But an especially wet winter, combined with drier, warmer weather tied to climate change, came together to fuel the devastating Mountain Fire in Ventura County.
California wildfires have gotten much worse over the last two decades, researchers say. But certain conditions came together in what one expert described as an 'environmental recipe' that fueled the devastating Mountain Fire in Ventura County.And researchers say it's part of a troubling trend.More than 10,000 people fled their homes this week as firefighters focused on saving lives when the blaze first broke out Wednesday morning.
With the Santa Ana winds that come in the fall in Southern California, flames are driven forward and embers that spark flames can be blown into the air and carried up to three miles by the strong gusts, Smith said. And fall brings especially low humidity, including the dry seasonal winds, making the terrain ripe for extreme fire growth.Such environmental factors, which not only intensify blazes but also make them more difficult to contain, don't exist in the summer.
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