'Dangerously fast' wildfire engulfs thousands of acres in Southern California, forcing mass evacuations: 'Another year of new extremes'

California's Mountain Fire rapidly moved through Ventura County, about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, charring nearly 20,000 acres. While the fire is now 98% contained, its swift advance challenged California fire crews.

What's happening?

Just a day after the first incident report about the Mountain Fire on Nov. 6, the blaze had destroyed nearly 15,000 acres. Within two days after the initial report, the fire had charred about 20,000 acres. The damage has been described as "devastating."

Cal Fire reported the fire destroyed or damaged nearly 400 structures and caused injuries to one firefighter and five civilians.

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"Bushes are burning, grass is burning, hedgerows are burning, agricultural fields are burning, and structures are burning," Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said as the fire raged during its first few days, per USA Today. "This fire is moving dangerously fast. We will stay with our community until the very end and through this all."

Why are fast-moving fires in California important?

California has endured over 7,600 wildfires this year, burning over 1 million acres and damaging or destroying over 2,000 structures. Year-to-date, the number of acres burned this year has more than tripled last year's total.

This has been a bad year for wildfires across the country. The total number of acres burned so far this year has nearly tripled the number from all of 2023. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the U.S. has had over 50,000 wildfire incidents through the middle of November this year that have burned over 8 million acres combined.

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The Union of Concerned Scientists included wildfires among its list of extreme weather they say is becoming more frequent on our overheating planet. "2024 is another year of new extremes in climate: this year's summer was the hottest on record," according to a UCS report. "In particular, July 22 will be remembered as the hottest day recorded, when the global average temperature hit 62.9°F according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Heat waves, floods, storms, and wildfires are breaking records and impacted nearly everyone in the United States and its Caribbean territories."

What's being done about an increase in wildfires?

Several studies have shown our warming world has led to an increase in the length of the wildfire season, wildfire frequency, and the number of acres burned. The area burned by wildfires appears to have risen since the 1980s. According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, the 10 years with the largest acres burned have all occurred since 2004.

California and many other areas are taking steps to combat wildfires proactively, including a grants program by Cal Fire. Some of those grants go toward wildfire prevention planning and education along with strategies to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.

Reducing the level of heat-trapping gases released by the use of dirty energy sources can help cool our planet. Advocacy toward change from governments and major companies can have the biggest impact, and small steps in our personal lives can contribute too, such as installing solar panels and replacing your next car or truck with an EV.