wild fires in california: who's at fault?

Question

who's fault is it that the fires happened is it the goverment etc..?

Answer 1

There are a number of different factions who have sway in the conditions surrounding wild fires.

To start with, if the fire is arson, the arsonist is first and foremost at fault. If the fire is started by an accidental man-made cause, the person or persons involved in the man-made situation MAY be at fault, depending on the situation.

As for the conditions surrounding the strength and violence with which the fires burn, the first thing to consider is weather and climate. Dry spells, warm weather, low humidity and high winds all can cause a small fire to become a raging conflagration.

The next factor is the thickness of the vegetation. This is where things get a little tricky. Wet conditions in previous winters and springs can cause vegetation to grow rapidly and become very thick. If nature was allowed to run its course, fairly regular wild fires would keep the vegetation at a manageable level and would clear the dead plant materials off the ground. However, in the United States, wildfires are often not left to run their natural course allowing for a buildup of dead and very dry plant material on the ground.

The policy of fighting every wildfire started at the turn of the 20th Century. A pair of massive fires, the 1894 Hinckley Fire in Minnesota and the 1918 Cloquet Fire in Minnesota and Wisconsin, killed over 800 people and destroyed 50 communities between the two fires. These disasters created a public outcry that led to a policy of fighting every wild fire and extinguishing them as soon as possible.

In recent decades, the government has tried with varying degrees of success to do controlled burns to help cut down on the magnitude of wild fires. Areas that have received successful controlled burns tend not to have the same level of destruction as unburned areas. However, incidents such as the controlled burn that went wild in the Cerro Grande Fire near Los Alamos, New Mexico caused a public backlash against controlled burns. In addition, the public often complains about "air quality" issues when the smoke from a controlled burn drifts into populated areas.

Some wilderness areas have adopted a policy of letting naturally started wildfires burn their course and only fighting man-made fires. These policies have also met with resistance from the public over air quality issues and perceived safety issues.

To summarize, the problems with devastating wildfires appear to be a combination of flawed government policy leading to a dangerous build-up and the fickleness of the general public who complain about the violence of the fires but then fight the government when it attempts to mitigate the factors leading to dangerous fire.

Answer 2

It is just the way So. Cal. is. It's part of the climate. With climate change we are seeing more fires in fire prone areas because it is a hot dry place. All we can do is come up with better ways of prevention and fighting these fires. It isn't anyone's fault unless someone sets it on purpose.

Answer 3

I was reading your question and asking myself "Now why would it be the government's fault"...no, it was not the government who did it and if you watched the national news recently, like CNN or perhaps Fox, they interviewed 3 persons of interest and they appeared to be uptight and on drugs and just very non-caring. At least two of them are suspected in previous arsons this year; one in particular. The girl who gives the two guys an alibi cannot even look anyone in the face and does not appear to be very honest, but strung out on heroin; this is what her conduct appeared to be to me in an interview yesterday.

They are not the most decent people.

What I can't figure out is why would anyone want to set a fire like that? Why all the violence in the news lately?

Sick world we live in...just sick. My blessings go out to the victims of the 5 dead firemen...God bless you and hope to see the 5 after this system ends.

Answer 4

A fifth U.S. Forest Service firefighter has died of burns suffered when flames from a deliberately set wildland fire overran his five-man crew in Southern California last week.

Twenty-three-year-old firefighter Pablo Cerda died at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.

Cerda was burned over 90 percent of his body Thursday in the Esperanza fire as he and four other firefighters tried to protect a home. Three crew members died at the scene, with a fourth dying later that day at a hospital.

Answer 5

accepted Republican that would not be attentive to reality if it slapped you in the face... like Reid suggested, the wildfires have been brought about via worldwide Warming circuitously. If it wasn't for the better warmth and droughts, the severity of the fires might have been much less apt to ensue.

Answer 6

Since it has been said that two young men were seeing running from the scene when it first started, I'm guessing that's who is at fault.

Why on Earth would the government be to blame for this one?!!

Answer 7

The current one that is raging was supposed to be arson according to Fox News. Pretty sad especially taking into account that four people have died.

Answer 8

Bit of a conspiracy theorist are we??? The blame lies with the person or persons who set that fire.

Answer 9

God......its gods fault...

Answer 10

Criminal pyromaniacs.... they should be thrown in