Wine country California is once again in the grip of wildfires. There have been a few deaths and evacuation of thousands of residents from their homes. Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation pertaining to the Glass and Zogg fires for the counties of Napa, Sonoma and Shasta. These resulted in loss of thousands of acres of land and destruction of infrastructure.
Recovery on both these fronts would be time consuming. The governor also wrote to Donald Trump and requested for assistance in the affected counties. There are three deaths confirmed and it adds up to 28 this year. The Zogg Fire ignited on Sunday afternoon and spread over an area of over 23 square miles by next day. Cal Fire indicates it is not yet contained and had burned more than 30,000 acre. Shasta County Sheriff confirmed three fatalities and urged residents to follow evacuation orders. Areas under the grip of the fire are in the forested area in northern California. It had faced the Carr Fire two years earlier.
Daily Mail UK says the cause of the fires were under investigation. One of the hospitals had to suspend care and transfer its patients elsewhere. Fire in the Napa-Sonoma wine country revived memories of the deadly wildfires of 2017. Recently there was a lightning-sparked fire in the region. An official of Cal Fire says – “Our firefighters have not had much of a break, and these residents have not had much of a break.”
Wildfires disturb lives in California
In the town of Calistoga in Napa County, evacuation orders were given to all its residents. Such orders disturb lives because wildfires leave behind a trail of destruction with loss of properties, loss of the green cover, and loss of habitats of wildlife.
Residents have to rebuild their lives. Moreover, the quality of air deteriorates due to smoke. The environment suffers while people have to adjust to health issues. Daily Mail UK adds that officials are trying to assess the extent of damage. The blaze engulfed a well-known winery and a five-star resort. The main building of a restaurant turned into a heap of rubble. There were reports of loss of power and in such scenarios, Renewable Energy helps. In November 2018, California faced a wildfire in the town of Paradise.
People in California better prepared to face wildfires
Daily Mail UK mentions about an official associated with emergency services. He said 2020 has been challenging and elaborated that those who reside in California are better prepared to tackle wildfires.
They realize that there will be fire events for various reasons. These could be due to climate change from the burning of fossil fuels. In the opinion of scientists, climate change has left California much drier. Trees and other plants have become more flammable and conditions of this nature make the state vulnerable to wildfires. It is necessary for all concerned to concentrate on preventing global warming. The awareness has to set in. In mid-August, a number of dry lightning strikes led to a massive outbreak of fires. In September, there was a manmade wildfire at a gender reveal party in California.
Many landmarks destroyed in the California wildfire
According to CNN, the NAPA Valley wildfire in California destroyed a few renowned wineries.
One of these was the 41-year-old Chateau Boswell Winery. It was a private family-owned setup and located along the popular Silverado Trail. The area came under mandatory evacuation orders. This was because the Glass Fire spread from a 20-acre fire to one of 11,000 acres. Another landmark was the Black Rock Inn in St. Helena. The owner confirmed its destruction in the fire. There are other wineries in the area, some are under threat from the flames.