What fueled massive wildfires in Southern California?
Southern Californians will have a hard time forgetting about the fires that left many neighborhoods in charred ruins. For six days last month, wildfires raged over hundreds of miles–from the Simi Valley north of Los Angeles to the Mexican border. The fires killed seven people, burned 2,786 structures, and triggered the largest mass evacuation since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The flames were fed by drought, fallen power lines, and arson. One fire in Los Angeles County was started accidentally by a boy playing with matches. That fire burned more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes in northern Los Angeles County. On hillsides covered with dry brush, hot desert winds called the Santa Ana stoked sheets of flame as tall as multistory buildings. Hundreds of thousands of Californians were forced to flee from their homes. In San Diego County, more than 20,000 people took temporary shelter in Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers. Finally, calmer winds and firefighters’ efforts
