California registers the second and third largest wildfires in its history in recent days. Some 100,000 people have been evacuated, once the fire has already reached 445,000 hectares in the state. The situation could worsen in the next few hours because meteorological centers estimate that thunderstorms will occur without rain and with strong winds, which will make it more difficult for the fire to subside. At least six people have died since last week, when the flames began.
One of the fires burns in the Napa Wine Country in Sonoma and Lake counties, where an estimated 130,000 hectares have already been affected. While the second, with a magnitude of almost 137,500 hectares, is recorded east of San José, in the counties of Santa Clara, San Joaquín and Alameda, where the smoke has reached the Silicon Valley region. Firefighters have reported that 10% of the fire is under control.
These two fires are just part of the 585 registered this summer in the State of California. The authorities point out that 96% of the members of the Fire Department are dedicated to smothering the forest flames because, in addition to these two major sources, there are a dozen more still active in the north and on the coast. “The atmospheric conditions have not ended up being as critical as we feared, which is good. They have given us an opportunity to make a lot of progress, ”said the chief of operations of the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Mark Brunton on Monday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the weekend. "If you don't believe in climate change, visit California," Newsom wrote on his Twitter account with an area photo of the fires. President Donald Trump approved Sunday the declaration of disaster and the dispatch of members of the National Guard and the Army to help in the tasks of suppressing the fire and the evacuation of the affected towns.
With the advance of the flames, the movement of smoke towards urban centers has also begun. The concern among the inhabitants of cities like San Francisco and San José is that air pollution represents a mitigating factor in the face of the advance of the coronavirus pandemic. According to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, inhaling smoke weakens the immune system and makes the human body susceptible to diseases, including covid-19. In addition, it can affect people with previous respiratory diseases.