CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -In Southern California, fires are often fanned by fast-moving, hot, dry winds known as the Santa Anas (also called Diablos in the northern part of the state). The winds dry out grasses and brush in the Sierra Nevada and pose the greatest fire risk in the fall, when vegetation is usually at its driest.

Detailed explanation-2: -Climate change is considered the main cause for the increase in the number and severity of wildfires in California over the past decade. However, the problem can also be linked to three other major factors, which are both natural and man-made.

Detailed explanation-3: -Drought conditions reduce the amount of moisture in vegetation. The amount of moisture in vegetation determines how easily it ignites when exposed to heat, whether it’s from lightning or an unattended campfire.

Detailed explanation-4: -He is among several experts who say a confluence of factors has driven the surge of large, destructive fires in California: unusual drought and heat exacerbated by climate change, overgrown forests caused by decades of fire suppression, and rapid population growth along the edges of forests.