[New post] What sparks US wildfires: Power lines, burning trash and lightning
gqlshare posted: "By Brian K. Sullivan, Bloomberg NewsThe fast-moving fire that ripped through Maui's historic town of Lahaina killed more than 90 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but" The Willits News
The fast-moving fire that ripped through Maui's historic town of Lahaina killed more than 90 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but power equipment in the area is coming under increasing scrutiny.
Charred remains of a burned neighbourhood is seen in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 14, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said August 14, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains. Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)
Across the nation, wildfires are growing in intensity and frequency as climate change sparks prolonged droughts. The initial cause can vary — a spark from downed electric lines, a lightning strike or a cigarette butt tossed out a car window — but the result is the same: Once vegetation dries out, it can easily ignite.
Here's a look at recent major U.S. wildfires:
Camp Fire
In November 2018, flames leveled the California town of Paradise, killing more than 80 people and destroying more than 18,000 structures. It was the state's deadliest and most-destructive fire, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.
An aerial view of homes destroyed by the Camp Fire on February 11, 2019 in Paradise, California. Three months after the deadly and destructive Camp Fire, the community was beginning the rebuilding process. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The fire was blamed on power lines operated by the state's largest utility, PG&E Corp. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2019, facing $30 billion in liabilities from several devastating wildfires, and in 2020 it pleaded guilty to more than 80 counts of involuntary manslaughter for its role in starting the Camp Fire blaze.
August Complex Fire
The August Complex fire, the biggest ever in California, blazed for nearly three months in late 2020 and destroyed more than 1 million acres before it was fully corralled. The blazes were ignited by lightning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Cabernet Franc grape vines destroyed by the LNU Lightning Complex fire are shown at M.S. Torun Family Vineyards on August 24, 2020 in Napa, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The fire raged through Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Glenn, Lake and Colusa counties, becoming the second-largest fire in U.S. history, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
Marshall Fire
More than 1,000 homes burned near Boulder, Colorado, just a few days after Christmas in 2021 after extremely strong winds quickly spread flames in the drought-parched land. It was the most destructive fire in the state's history.
In this aerial view, burned homes sit in a neighborhood decimated by the Marshall Fire on January 4, 2022 in Louisville, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
A sheriff's report found that two blazes — the first of which spread from scrap wood and tree branches set on fire at a home, while the most likely cause for the second was hot particles from a power line — eventually merged to scorch about 6,000 acres.
Xcel Energy Inc. has said that it strongly disagrees with any suggestion that its power lines caused the second ignition, calling the report's analyses "flawed" and conclusions "incorrect."
Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon
The Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon blaze scorched more than 340,000 acres in New Mexico during the late spring and early summer of 2022. The wildfire was the largest in the state's history and was caused by smoldering debris left over from a controlled burn in January, forest service officials said.
Trees stand after being scorched by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire on June 2, 2022 near Las Vegas, New Mexico. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Randy Moore, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service, apologized for his agency's role in accidentally triggering the flames, saying that the events leading to the fire were "nearly unheard of until recently in the century-plus of experience the Forest Service has in working on these landscapes."
"Climate change is leading to conditions on the ground we have never encountered," Moore said last year.
With assistance from Mark Chediak and Shiyin Chen.
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