Big Basin Redwoods State Park, CA, Will Partially Reopen on July 22nd for First Time after Wildfire Tore Through it in 2020 BOULDER CREEK, Calif. — California State Parks and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks today announced Big Basin Redwoods State Park will partially reopen July 22 for limited day-use access through a reservation system. Reservations will be available starting July 1. Big Basin has been closed to the public since the CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through the park in August 2020. Flames engulfed more […] Fire Firebrains | June 30, 2022 0 Comments
4 Intuitive Ways to Construct and Prepare for Wildfires Article by Rachel Perez Wildfires are some of the most destructive forces of nature. Over the past few decades, unfortunately, wildfires have become more common and more consuming. In the past 15 years alone, nearly 90,000 structures were burned by wildfires. When building in wildfire-prone areas, preparation and foresight will help prevent even more structures from succumbing to the flames. […] Fire Guest Author | April 25, 2022 1 Comment
Skier Carried and Injured by Avalanche in Big Sky, MT On April 3, 2022, at 1:53 pm, Gallatin County 911 received a call from skiers caught in an avalanche while ascending the north face of Wilson Peak in Big Sky, MT. One skier was able to self-extricate immediately. The other skier was swept down the slope, through some trees, and ultimately was able to self-extricate at the bottom of the […] AvyBrains | April 5, 2022 0 Comments
NASA: Boulder County, CO, Wildfire is Most Destructive in State’s History | 1,100 House Burned, 2 People Missing On December 30, 2021, high winds roared out of the west and down the front slope of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Northwest of Denver, peak gusts reached 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour—the equivalent of a category 3 hurricane. Those winds whipped up intense grass and brush fires in south Boulder and blew them east toward the towns of […] Fire Firebrains | January 5, 2022 0 Comments
NASA: California, A Multi-Dimensional Fire Challenge This is the second part of a story about fires in California. Read part 1 here. Climate change has helped fuel California’s surge of unusually large and destructive fires by exacerbating heat waves and droughts, but climate is not the only factor contributing to the surge. More than a century of fire suppression has caused excessive amounts of dead trees, […] Fire Firebrains | October 7, 2021 2 Comments
NASA: What’s Behind California’s Surge of Large Fires? If it seems like enormous wildfires have been constantly raging in California in recent summers, it’s because they have. Eight of the state’s ten largest fires on record—and twelve of the top twenty—have happened within the past five years, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Together, those twelve fires have burned about 4 percent […] Fire Firebrains | October 5, 2021 4 Comments
NASA: California’s Dixie Fire Keeps on Growing | 2nd Largest in California’s History This article first appeared on NASA Earth Observatory and was written by Kathryn Hansen. The Dixie fire in Northern California has surpassed the Bootleg fire in Oregon to become the largest fire so far this year in the United States. As of August 9, 2021, the Dixie fire had charred 489,287 acres (765 square miles). Related: Satellite Images of Wildfire […] Fire Firebrains | August 9, 2021 1 Comment
CAL FIRE: 151% Increase in Acres Burned Across California as Compared to Last Year: “Have Go-Bag Ready” The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) reported yesterday that California has seen a 151% increase in acres burned across California due to wildfires when compared to this time last year. And it’s still only early August. CAL FIRE wrote in a Facebook post: “Now is the time to prepare you and your family by having your […] Fire Firebrains | August 6, 2021 0 Comments