Thursday, September 25, 2014

California Wildfire Update: Heavy Rains Pose Mudslide Concerns

     The King wildfire in California has been experiencing some containment due to the heavy rains that have been occurring recently. Meteorologist Nick Wiltgen is concerned about the effects that this rain could have on the area. He states, "the King Fire isn't even 50% contained and already we have a plume of persistent rain drenching the area. We're seeing reports of half an inch of rain in 2 hours -- not nearly as heavy as some of the flood events elsewhere in the country this year, but when that happens on a rugged area that just lost all of its vegetation to a massive wildfire, it's enough to bring a threat of flooding and mudslides."
     The damages that this wildfire has been causing are slowly starting to pile up. About 2,800 people have been forced to leave their homes, heavy smoke has filled the air in nearby towns, more than 8,000 firefighters have been working to prevent this wildfire from getting any bigger, 12 homes have been destroyed and 12,000 more homes are under threat, and all of this has been costing California 50 million dollars. A man by the name of Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37, has been charged for starting the fire. He remains in prison on a 10 million dollar bail. Roughly 5,000 wildfires have occurred in California so far this year, but this particular wildfire has been the second priciest.

No picture available.

Link: http://www.wunderground.com/news/california-king-fire-update-20140925

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