Wildfires

Wildfires around Australia keep raging on as the countries dry climate is making the matters of the fire worse, the fires first started to occur in late november and have been growing bigger ever since. Parts of the country have been hit, major cities like Melbourne and Sydney have been affected. However, the New South Wales (NSW) has gotten the worst of the wildfires. There have been reported of 28 people dead from the wildfire, as well as 3,000 homes destroyed. Each year the hot and dry climate of Australia during the summer is making it easier for matches to spark causing these wildfires, most of which scientists believe is due to climate change. There is an estimated half a billion animals that have been affected by the wildfires, with one of the biggest impacts on the koalas as an approximated third of koalas that live in NSW have been killed. Even though species like koalas are not endangered by the wildfires other wildlife like frogs that live in environments that are not very populated their species could be wiped out completely. Already the state Victoria has declared a state of disaster, and NSW declaring a state of emergency. There are about 2,000 firefighters on the ground in NSW fighting the worst of the wildfire, and now there are volunteer firefighter coming from countries like the US, Canada, and New Zealand.

Aftermath of Wildfires

As the drastic wildfires that occurred in Australia come to an end, there are effects from the aftermath that threaten the wildlife. One of the more concerning problems is debris and sediment polluting waterways. More specifically in the Mannus creek, where a man by the name of Luke Pearce was hiking along the river and noticed all of the debris from the fire entering the river. His main concern is with the Macquarie perch, a fish native to the Mannus creek river system. The Macquarie perch, a fish that once was abundant enough for commercial fishermen to catch are now considered endangered. One of the ways that the people are helping is by netting the perch and raising them in captivity. From researches they in awe of the effect that fire can have on water, as there have not been any documented deaths of fish due to ash from fires

Roaring Wildlife in the Ukraine

As we thought that life could not get any harder with the novel coronavirus spreading, wildfires pop up out of nowhere. The most recent one being in the Ukraine right near the Chernobyl area. It has been brought to the attention of many that since the Ukraine had a relatively dry winter. This causes pine needles to easily fall onto the ground and they are easily flammable. As well as, presents an opportunity for arsons to strike causing these big wildfires. Even though this wildfire did not take place anywhere that is threatening to any big civilization, it is still wrecking the habitats for animals and is putting the rescue workers on 24/7 work trying to put out these fires.

Smoke Impact from Wildfires

With smoke being a byproduct of fire, a new study has been released that long exposures to smokes from wildfires can accelerate the risk of a cardiac arrest by 70%. Most notably problems have been seen from the California wildfires of 2017, as well as fires from North Carolina. From these problems long term exposure can even lead to heart problems. This puts older people and anyone that has underlying health problems more at risk of experiencing problems. More recently Harvard University has concluded that the novel coronavirus can be more deadly for those who are exposed to “high levels of particulate matter”. This included anyone that is normally around poor air quality and those that inhale smoke. There should be more regulations explored to try and contain smoke from wildfires to decrease the risk that citizens are put at.

Jefferson County Wildfire

A new wildfire has sprung up in Jefferson County, Colorado. On Saturday it was reported that the fire was 55 acres big, but was then updated to being 68 acres due to better mapping. The United States Forest Service knew that the area where the fire sprung up was a place endangered of spawning a wildfire, as there were dead trees everywhere. Right now the wildfire is 80% contained according to the firefighters on the frontlines of the fire. It is only going to be a couple days before the fire is put out. This just goes to show how some areas that have dried up and dead trees are more at risk of potential wildfires to occur. Areas that do not get a lot of rain throughout the year should be on the lookout.

Cardiac Arrest Risk

New studies are coming out with exposure to smoke caused by wildfires increasing the risk of cardiac arrest. According to Science Daily, a cardiac arrest is when the heart can no longer properly pump blood to vital organs in the body. With the large scale wildfires being more common in recent decades this is exposing communities to wildfire smoke. The small particles that are in the smoke can go deeply into a person’s lungs then into the bloodstream, causing blood clots. One of the best things to prevent this from happening is advising residents when there is a wildfire nearby to stay inside, close all windows and doors, and make sure the home they are in can circulate enough air. If they do not have this kind of circulation find another shelter or place to go.

Aftermath of Chernobyl Fire

Recently the wildfire that was burning right outside of Chernobyl has now been stopped after weeks of battling. However, damages have been caused hurting the tourist attractions there as well as the fire almost reaching the exclusion zone. The fire was said to have been by individuals burning grass and rubish. According to Yaroslav Yemelianenko the head of Chernobyl tours, said that 12 to 15 locations within Chernobyl were burned down, but most of the buildings that he would take guide tourists on still stand. Radiation levels did not seem to rise anywhere except for within the exclusion zone. Over in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, smoke from the fire was able to reach there. With many of the residents fearing that the smoke carried radioactive particles from Chernobyl, but officials assured the people that there are not any radioactive particles in the smoke. Everyone was advised to stay inside while keeping the doors and windows closed. Overall, there should be more awareness brought to wildfires and the damages they can cause, as we see in the Ukraine just starting from something small like a backyard fire to making people stay inside due to the danger of the smoke.

Coronavirus Affect on California’s Preparation

Nearing the summer, California gets ready for their fire season. However, with the current state of a global pandemic due to the coronavirus. All preparation is coming to a halt as quarantine and social distancing guidelines are being followed. One of the many jobs that is done is preparation that is being delayed is the trimming of trees, cleaning of bushes, and raking of leaves. Many of the trees that are being cut down are ones near power lines that serve as the biggest threat. All of the agencies and organizations whose jobs are to clear the landscape are having trouble finding employees, as many of the special courses are limited to certain numbers. It is speculated that California is going to have a dry summer similar to the one back in 2018 when the deadliest fire ever hit Paradise, California. One of the companies PG&E is trying to come out of bankruptcy in time for the 2020 summer season. PG&E is a gas and electrical company that is stationed in San Francisco, California. They have been blamed for one of the major factors in the 2017 wildfires occurring, as they had faulty cable lines. Now they have plans to install 700 miles of insulated line. They will have to take every precaution necessary to install the lines with the coronavirus still threatening the state.

Fighting Fires from the Sky

As the fire season approaches for many states in the western half, training is currently being done to prepare the pilots of C-130’s to help fight the upcoming fires. One of the changes crews have had to make is the relocation of training as the coronavirus is inhibiting normal training. The Colorado Spring Troops would normally send people out to Idaho, but now they are just practicing flyovers near Pike’s Peak. Help from the air normally comes in when “civilian resources are overburdened”. That is when the planes drop retardant over the fire to help contain it. They are capable of dropping 3,000 gallons of retardant over 400 yards creating a barrier. The hope for the upcoming season is that since there is the coronavirus there will not be people that venture deep into the forest having out of control campfires, which is one of the main causes for these wildfires. However, this will not stop firefighters from being ready to b fight off any fire that comes their way.

Idaho Gets Ready for Wildfire Season

As Idaho is coming up in the month of May, they are preparing for the upcoming wildfire season along with other states. The Governor of Idaho, Brad Little, has declared May to be Wildfire Awareness month. Where he urges residents to be cautious when doing controlled burns and other activities that involve burning. Right now there is training being done for the firefighter and first responders to prepare for the season. More specifically the MAy 2nd is National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) had a list of tasks that people can do at home to still help out at home, whereas the activities would be together in groups but with the COVID-19 pandemic going on that is frowned upon. Some of the activities include raking up pine needles, keeping wood piles at least 30 feet from your house, and cutting grass to be no taller than 4 inches. These are simple tasks that everyone can do at home, not just the citizens of Idaho.

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