File:Climate Change too Close to Home.jpg

English: This image shows how rapidly the Cave Fire had spread over the course of two hours! The dry windy conditions set up the perfect opportunity for a fire to sweep across the mountainside. Thousands of people were evacuated with a total of 4,367 acres burned. Thankfully, the forecasted rain helped to subdue the fire along with brave firefighters, allowing residents to return to their homes. Still, the threat of debris flow from all the loose soil that the burnt vegetation could not secure. Thankfully, basins and several creeks were cleared with bulldozers to accommodate the flow, and no loss of life or major structural damage occurred. Over the past 30 years, fires in California have become increasingly frequent, striking closer and closer to residential areas. The largest recent fire has been the Thomas Fire, with the more recent Cave Fire having a huge rate of expansion that panicked the mountainside homes. Each year over the past 20 years has been (mostly) the hottest years on record, suggesting that the increase in temperature will spark more fires in the future. This increase in temperature is said to only increase in the next century, and this fire is a realistic example of why we should pay close attention to the things that we consume, or at least be aware of the effects that the products we use have on our environment, as these will eventually affect us directly.