(ETH) – The record-breaking year of wildfires in California has spawned another new milestone with the first “gigafire”, in modern history, which is defined as a blaze that spans one million acres.
This comes as the Guardian reports that on Monday, the August complex fire in northern California has now expanded beyond 1 million acres, elevating it from a mere “megafire” to what is being called a new classification, “gigafire”. The term has never used before in a contemporary setting in the state.
1.03 million acres is a fire that is larger than the state of Rhode Island and is continuing to rage across seven counties which have allegedly been caused when lightning struck dry forests back in August. The fires have been burning for over 50 days now and are only half-contained.
This event heads a list of huge fires that have devoured through 4 million acres of California this year alone, and the figure is being deemed as “mind-boggling” by Cal Fire and double the previous annual record. What’s even more mind-boggling is the fact that five of the six largest fires ever recorded in the state of California have occurred in 2020, of course, they have though right? I mean it is 2020 after all.
These fires have resulted in several dozen deaths and thousands of lost buildings. Even more terrifying is the fact that they are saying that there is little sign of California’s biggest-ever fire season receding. The Guardian reported that California has already endured a heatwave this summer, that is contributing to the formation of these deadly wildfires even without the seasonal winds that usually fan the blazes that have historically dotted the west coast.
