What is it that makes a California wildfire worse? Death and size

The campfire in northern California, in many ways, has become the worst wildfire in the history of a state whose topography and climate have long ago matured devastating fires.

With terrain ranging from rugged mountains topped by trees to brush-covered dry hills and a climate that frequently varies from a light rainy season to years of drought, California has been the scene of a series of events. devastating and destructive fires since the beginning of record keeping early 20th century.

To determine the magnitude of a forest fire, we must take into account several statistics, including not only lives lost and homes destroyed, but also other buildings burned and the amount of forest, forest land to be built and bush devastated.

Look at what makes the worst wildfire and where is the most recent fire in these categories:

LATEST CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

The camp fire, which destroyed the historic mining town of Paradise, is the deadliest in the state's history, with 84 deaths Friday, according to statistics from the Department of Forests and Wildlife. California fire protection. It's also the deadliest of the United States for a century.

With hundreds of people still missing, the death toll is likely to increase.

The second deadliest fire of the state, the Griffith Park fire in 1933 in Los Angeles, killed 29 people, mostly workers hired under the Works Progress Administration program of the 39 Depression era to widen roads and build trails in the vast wilderness park located on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles. Angeles.

These workers had no experience of fighting fires and no water was available when the flames broke out. They found themselves trapped in a canyon when they tried to stop with shovels and their feet while trampling hot spots.

The 1991 Tunnel fire killed 25 people when it devastated the densely populated hills of Oakland, trapping people in homes and in narrow, winding streets. This third forest fire, the deadliest, began with a small flame that the firefighters thought they had mastered, and then saw it again alive when burning embers lit other scrubs when strong winds erupted.

THE GREATEST WILDFIRES OF CALIFORNIA

Last year, the Mendocino complex burned down more than 459,000 acres (1,857 square kilometers), most of which are located in the Mendocino National Forest, making it the largest in the history of Canada. State, according to statistics.

It's almost triple the size of the campfire that consumed more than 153,000 acres (620 km2). But only one person died in the fire of 2017.

Last year, Thomas Fire, which burned about 440 square kilometers in the counties of Ventura and Santa Barbara, is the second largest state in the country. He killed two people.

The cedar fire, which covered about 110 km2 in 2003, was the largest in state history at the time and is now the third largest. It is also the fifth most deadly. The fire that started in the Cleveland National Forest killed a firefighter and 14 other people. Most were residents of a rural San Diego County canyon that did not have time to overtake the flames caused by the wind.

Currently, the campfire is 16th on this list.

THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

This statistic is based on the total number of structures destroyed, including houses, businesses and other buildings. The campfire is by far the leader with nearly 19,000 buildings lost, including 13,954 houses.

Last year, Tubbs Fire, which burned in the California wine region, is far behind with 5,636 structures. It is also the fourth deadliest forest fire in the state, having killed 22 people.

The third deadliest, Oakland's Fire Tunnel, is also the third most destructive, with 2,900 buildings.

DOES CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES PIRED?

Statistically, it would seem that yes. Fifteen of the 20 most destructive forest fires in California have occurred in the last 20 years. During the same period, 10 of the 20 most deadly fires in the state have broken out, including four in the past two years. Sixteen of the twenty largest state forest fires have erupted since 1998.

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Rogers reported from Los Angeles.