San Bernardino Wildfire

Late morning of June 13th, a wildfire engulfed San Bernardino National Forest of California, enveloping 400 acres of Pinyon Pines in flames by that afternoon. The fire destroyed several homes, historic Pinyon pine trees, and outbuildings in the process. State Route 74 had to be partially shut down during the initial outbreak; however, it was reopened on June 16th. The situation was exacerbated by a combination of dry conditions and triple-digit temperatures, with this being particularly prevalent on mountains and desert slopes in the afternoon and evening. Officials claimed that the fire threat would peak between Tuesday and Friday of that week, possibly even longer.

Reported to have developed at 11:05 AM that Sunday, the wildfire prompted the evacuation of several neighborhoods, including Alpine Village, Pinyon Pines, and Pinyon Crest. Two homes from the latter community were incinerated, and three others were damaged to a certain degree alongside outbuildings such as barns and sheds. State Route 74 promptly ceased operations to promote public safety, with residents only being allowed through following lengthy wait times. An evacuation center was instituted at a school in Idyllwild, and a shelter was set up for the reception of large and small animals alike. Despite initial predictions that the apex of the wildfire’s reverberations would continue through at least Friday, it appears that the majority of the situation had been contained before Wednesday.

By Monday morning, officials announced that the progression of the fire had been halted and that 30% containment had been achieved. Containment refers to the perimeter of a wildfire, with the percentage representing the amount of the perimeter where expansion is being suspended. In this case, the containment rate signifies that 30% of the fire’s perimeter had been safeguarded against spreading in that respective direction. Conversely, this means that 70% had not been accounted for Monday morning. Along the perimeter, firefighters engage in what is known as “mopping up,” where flammable materials are removed from the environment and those already aflame are extinguished. Unfortunately, one firefighter was injured in this operation, bringing attention to the efforts of these heroic individuals toward the welfare of the populace. For areas that are “contained,” fuel breaks have been put into place, which is the marker that results in the “containment” designation. Fuel breaks can be naturally occurring divisions, like mounds, lakes, and valleys, or manually created barriers and lines formed by hand crews and bulldozers. The containment percentage increased to 85% on Wednesday, heralding a considerable shift in the tide of the circumstances.

The origin of the wildfire remains unknown at the moment, and all that we can ascertain was that it was amplified by hot, dry conditions and resulted in destruction and devastation. Regardless of the source, we must rally as a community to help support those who have been displaced or affected in some manner by this crisis. One such way of pitching in would be to donate toward reparations of the damages inflicted by the flames. If you would like to contribute to this cause, please visit the link directly below this article. A lesson can be learned from incidents like this: the environment holds more magnitude to humanity than some may realize at first and is therefore essential to emphasize its conservation in hopes of a better world with fewer tragedies.

Donation Link (American Red Cross - Southern California Region):

https://www.redcross.org/local/california/southern-california.html