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California Wildfires Fueled by Heat, Dry Conditions

Though the fires are burning in a largely unpopulated area, smoke is traveling for many miles, impacting air quality.

News

California Wildfires

Firefighting aircraft dropped flame retardant on the York Fire on July 29, 2023. (National Park Service Mojave National Preserve)
By Brea Burkholz

The York Fire, California’s largest fire of the year to date, has burned 94,000 acres and is only 34% contained as of Thursday. The fire began on Friday, July 28, in Mojave National Preserve and crossed into Nevada by Sunday. Firefighters are facing extreme temperatures of over 100 degrees, creating added challenges to containment efforts.

Currently, the fire is burning in a very unpopulated area, resulting in zero evacuation orders at this time, although there are some park closures in the Mojave National Preserve as well as significant damage to the area’s historic Joshua trees.

Smoke fills the skies from the York Fire, on July 30, 2023, in the Mojave Desert in California. (National Park Service Mojave National Preserve)

Despite the fire not currently threatening a populated area, smoke from the blaze has already traveled and is approaching the Las Vegas Valley area of Nevada, with ‘elevated readings for particulate matter’ in East Las Vegas, Boulder City and Henderson, Nevada.

Direct Relief is in communication with the Nevada Primary Care Association, the California Primary Care Association, and the Community Health Association Inland Southern Region in San Bernardino, California, and stands ready to assist should the situation further deteriorate.

Direct Relief will continue to monitor this fire, and others burning across the Western U.S. for their impact on direct evacuations and indirect air quality impacts.

Fires and Health

The organization has a long history of responding to wildfires, particularly in the Western U.S., and has deployed often in recent years to fires across the region as drought and climate conditions cause fires to increase in frequency and severity. Fires can also cause health risks during evacuation. As people quickly evacuate their homes, they may leave behind medicines needed to manage chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.

If left unmanaged, those conditions can escalate into emergency situations, requiring high levels of care at hospitals that may already be stretched thin. Direct Relief maintains an inventory of medical aid commonly requested by health providers during fires. When an emergency such as a wildfire occurs, requests for medical assistance are often made in the days and weeks afterward as health care providers, emergency response managers, and others closest to the fire’s impacts take stock of medical needs.

Direct Relief is prepared to meet a wide range of requests for medical support in the coming days and weeks. The organization will stay in close communication with local responders about ongoing needs and is ready to respond.

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