California is burning. Wildfires are spreading across the state and are becoming  threats. Many of the fires started up north and are affecting and harming residents that reside in California.

Many negatives stem from the wildfires. People are losing their homes, animals are losing their habitat, air quality is drastically getting worse, and California is becoming more dangerous to live in. As of now, there are more than 20 major blazes that are being fought by firefighters throughout the state according to the official wildfire site. Firefighters from other countries are even helping out including men from Mexico who traveled up north to assist. These men risk their lives using water and foam to try to put out the wildfires. 

Another way that they are able to fight fires is through controlled burns. They set fire to the land the wildfires are soon going to reach, burning dry vegetation and flammable materials in a controlled manner, therefore eliminating the threat of the fire spreading to that area and growing. Another tool that they use is a plane that basically drops a large amount of fire retardant while in the air that helps put out the fires in places that are very difficult to reach by those on foot. They use a variety of ways to fight these fires.

There are a multitude of causes to these fires, some natural and some that are very unexpected. Because dry grass in forests catches fires very quickly, dry vegetation and heatwaves are one reason for the quick spread. 

One of the other reasons, surprisingly, was a gender reveal. The gender reveal caused an insane blaze that was talked about all over California. There was a lot of ash in the sky for a few days making it hard for people to breathe. 

“…since I do go running in the morning it made it that much more difficult. I had to check the air quality online and make sure that I timed my runs to when it was safe enough to breathe,” Mr. Nolasco, a history teacher, said. The recent fires have made it difficult for people to go outside because of how much it could negatively affect our bodies. In order to keep themselves and their families safe, people need to be careful in times like these.