Op-ed: What or Who is Responsible for the California Wildfires

Leela H.

• Why California wildfires are so common, and how the people behind the one caused by the gender reveal should go to jail.

Over the last decade, there has been a rampant increase in the number of wildfires in California and other West Coast states. In fact, there are still wildfires raging across the West Coast today, 5 counties have declared a state of emergency due to the fires. This year alone, as of last Tuesday, an astounding 2 million acres of land have been burned in California, in comparison to the average number of acres burned every 6 months from the last five years: 309,675. Many are calling for the originators of the most recent fire to be tried for arson, which begs the question of how the couple should be penalized. However, this is or should be reliant on the circumstance or likelihood of a fire being caused had they not been there. Because the fire was in California where wildfires are extremely common. Therefore one must look at historical records, as well as climate change experts admissions to see how the causation of wildfires in California may afford the fire starters a different sentence.

While California has historically been host to wildfires and forest fires alike, it is climate change that has exacerbated the situation and created a hostile environment. California’s naturally dry climate, among its frequent droughts, have resulted in an environment prone to sustaining fires. As global temperatures rise to record highs, the Californian climate has only become increasingly hostile. However, as climate scientist Lamont-Doherty stated in an interview with the New York Times, “This climate-change connection is straightforward: warmer temperatures dry out fuels. In areas with abundant and very dry fuels, all you need is a spark.” It is important to take note of this because as much as wildfires are fostered and sustained by climate change connections, they would not be possible without a natural or manmade “spark.” Regardless of whether that the spark would be caused by a natural lightning strike or one of the many man-made reasons, that have caused 90% of all wildfires in the USA, like a loose man-made power cable or in this case fireworks.

This brings us to the most recent fires, the one caused by a Californian family holding a gender reveal party with fireworks in the middle of a dry field, during dry weather and fire-starting season in the state. That party has now resulted in the loss of 6,000 homes, Displacing thousands of people at a time when social distancing is highly encouraged, and Americans are facing an upwards battle against a virus that can cause extreme respiratory illness. All the while exposing those people to smoke inhalation, which is known to damage and compromise respiratory health. In summary, many people are understandably very upset at the damage, property loss, and personal injury both they and their loved ones have sustained as a direct cause of one family’s carelessness.

Strangely enough, there happens to be a precedent for gender reveals starting wildfires in the US, although not in the state of California. In Arizona, the Dickley family started a 47,000-acre wildfire during a gender reveal for an off-duty ICE agent’s family. Because of Arizona state laws, the agent and his wife were charged with a minor misdemeanor and are now responsible for paying 8 million USD in restitution charges, as that was the expense for the state’s fire department, and a direct payment of $100,000 the first year. With this in mind, it is only logical that California proceeds similarly to the Arizona Dickley case, and charge the family with the cost of the state loss and probation, at the very least if not a more severe charge later on, due to the fact that the fire was caused amidst a pandemic at a time when hospital and emergency services are already preoccupied.

Edited By: Happy J.

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Works Cited:

“When Your Gender Reveal Party Sets Half of California on Fire...” Imgflip, 2020, imgflip.com/i/4e6pgs.

“Facts + Statistics: Wildfires.” III, 2020, www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires.

Pierre-louis, Kendra, and John Schwartz. “Why Does California Have So Many Wildfires?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/article/why-does-california-have-wildfires.html.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). “Stats and Events.” Organization Image, 2020, www.fire.ca.gov/stats-events/.