by Colin Eldridge

On July 5th, 2024, a wildfire broke out near Zaca Lake in the mountains of Santa Ynez. The wildfire nearly tripled in size over the course of just a few days, quickly becoming the largest wildfire in California of the year until the Park Fire broke out on July 24th. Extreme dry conditions during an intense heat wave with temperatures into the low 100s contributed to the wildfire’s rapid spread.

As of August 2nd, the fire has spread to over 38,000 acres, making its way along the mountains to the southeast and northwest. The fire burned much of Figueroa Mountain and the natural preserves in that area.

Thousands of people were either evacuated or in evacuation warning areas. Thankfully, the fire has been contained as of August 4th and evacuation orders have been lifted, thanks to the hard work of the teams working to suppress the fire.

There were 4 structures destroyed, 1 structure damaged, 7 civilians and/or workers injured, and 0 fatalities, as per data available on CalFire.

California’s ecosystems were once burned regularly by indigenous peoples, but climate change and centuries of poor forest management have contributed to the increasingly extreme wildfires we see today. California breaks its own records for the size and intensity of wildfires every few years. It is important for the public to be prepared and to understand that virtually all of California is going to burn at one time or another.

Prescribed burns allow fuel loads to be burned during good weather conditions when fires are less likely to get out of hand, reducing the risk of catastrophic incidents. Back in February of 2024, we published a blog article about the steps that can be taken toward positive change in wildfire management: Fire, Flood, & Drought: 5 Steps Toward Positive Change

You can stay up to date on current wildfires in California on fire.ca.gov or by downloading the Watch Duty app.

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