By Curt_Anderson August 1, 2022 8:56 pm Category: Science & Nature (0.0 from 0 votes)
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The McKinney Fire has grown to 55,000 acres. That's somewhat more than 81 square miles. Imagine plot of land nine miles wide and nine miles long. Two people were incinerated in their vehicle. We are not in any imminent fire danger but air quality is about 80 which is "moderate". Ashes and debris are falling from the sky.
Reports are that the fire was not lightning caused. That doesn't leave many possibilities besides human caused. Human caused includes everything from malicious arson to an obliviously allowed spark (e.g. a chain dragged by a truck). Nearly 85 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans.
Ill-considered fire suppression programs of the past have resulted in a buildup of fuel in the forests ready to be ignited. There are efforts to clean it all up, but it's herculean task when you look at a map of federal forestlands.
One thing that would seem to be technologically possible is to have a network of drones and/or satellites patrolling the forests as an early warning system alerting firefighters to douse the blaze early on. If satellites are used, maybe it could fall under the domain of the Space Force.
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Comments on "I live close to the massive McKinney Fire":
The McKinney Fire has grown to 55,000 acres. That's somewhat more than 81 square miles. Imagine plot of land nine miles wide and nine miles long. Two people were incinerated in their vehicle. We are not in any imminent fire danger but air quality is about 80 which is "moderate". Ashes and debris are falling from the sky.
