Wildfires typically fall between May and August, but no official season exists. A wildfire may begin in any area at any time. I’m afraid I still have to disagree that the wildfires are the result of a warming climate change, but human activity is causing more wildfires. Humanity is the only animal to use fire, but we have little control over its destructiveness. Humanity, not climate change, is often the cause of a fire’s devastation.

The best example of humanity’s interference in the natural order of things leading to a worsening disaster is the Chicago fire of October 8-10,1871which wiped out the Illinois city. The fire might not have been so destructive at any other place or time, but 1871, Chicago was a rapidly growing city. The buildings were quickly constructed of wood close to each other. Wooden sidewalks connected the buildings and streets. By October of that year, there had been a summer-long drought. The myth is that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern in the barn, starting the barn ablaze. It is unknown if a cow was to blame. Still, the fire from the O’Leary barn quickly spread throughout the city through the close-set buildings and wooden sidewalks. The blaze continued from the eighth to the tenth, destroying most of the town. It only ended following a heavy rainstorm.

City planners learned from the blaze when rebuilding their city. They rebuilt with concrete and brick on wide roads, allowing heavy emergency traffic. Chicago is one example of how humanity can control fire with planning and maintenance. Many wild forest fires along the West Coast could be contained with proper forest maintenance by clearing dead wood and dry brush and using controlled burn-offs to allow new plant life to flourish.

The recent devastation and death in Lahaina, Maui, could have been avoided with the proper preparation and resources. It is well known that the grasses on the mountainsides above Lahaina burn yearly. Yet, planners have never done anything to protect the town where strong winds might blow the grass flames over the highway and into the city of ancient wooden buildings. Maintenance of the mountain grass with a rainwater reservoir to reduce its dryness would help diminish the fire hazard. In the case of fire, pump stations that can pump seawater from the nearby ocean could help extinguish the fire. Many recourses have been considered, but most are considered fiscally prohibited. Another consideration may be that, yes, these fires happen yearly. Still, they usually burn themselves out with minor damage, so why bother now? We just found out why. These fires can be avoided with a bit of thought and preparation, same as maintaining the dry California forests waiting for a lightning strike or a careless camper to burn down thousands of acres while risking the lives of firefighters. Still, some wildfires are Nature’s way of clearing away the old to allow the new vegetation to flourish.

The best example of humanity’s interference in the natural order of things leading to a worsening disaster is the Chicago fire of October 8-10,1871which wiped out the Illinois city. The fire might not have been so destructive at any other place or time, but 1871, Chicago was a rapidly growing city. The buildings were quickly constructed of wood close to each other. Wooden sidewalks connected the buildings and streets. By October of that year, there had been a summer-long drought. The myth is that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern in the barn, starting the barn ablaze. It is unknown if a cow was to blame. Still, the fire from the O’Leary barn quickly spread throughout the city through the close-set buildings and wooden sidewalks. The blaze continued from the eighth to the tenth, destroying most of the town. It only ended following a heavy rainstorm.
City planners learned from the blaze when rebuilding their city. They rebuilt with concrete and brick on wide roads, allowing heavy emergency traffic. Chicago is one example of how humanity can control fire with planning and maintenance. Many wild forest fires along the West Coast could be contained with proper forest maintenance by clearing dead wood and dry brush and using controlled burn-offs to allow new plant life to flourish.

The recent devastation and death in Lahaina, Maui, could have been avoided with the proper preparation and resources. It is well known that the grasses on the mountainsides above Lahaina burn yearly. Yet, planners have never done anything to protect the town where strong winds might blow the grass flames over the highway and into the city of ancient wooden buildings. Maintenance of the mountain grass with a rainwater reservoir to reduce its dryness would help diminish the fire hazard. In the case of fire, pump stations that can pump seawater from the nearby ocean could help extinguish the fire. Many recourses have been considered, but most are considered fiscally prohibited. Another consideration may be that, yes, these fires happen yearly. Still, they usually burn themselves out with minor damage, so why bother now? We just found out why. These fires can be avoided with a bit of thought and preparation, same as maintaining the dry California forests waiting for a lightning strike or a careless camper to burn down thousands of acres while risking the lives of firefighters. Still, some wildfires are Nature’s way of clearing away the old to allow the new vegetation to flourish.