China News Service, September 18, reported that wildfires in the western United States continued to spread in the past few days.
In California, Yosemite National Park was forced to close as wildfires continued to spread and smog had a serious impact on air quality. In Oregon, a state assemblyman who had resisted proposals to combat climate change had his home destroyed by wildfires.
Analysts believe that based on the experience of previous years, the real "hill fire season" in the United States has not yet arrived, and the western region will face severe tests in the coming months.
Data map: September 15, local time, California, USA. Firefighters stood on fire trucks watching the bobcat fire burning on the hillside behind the house in Monrovia.
Air quality plummeted
California Yosemite National Park will close
On September 17, the relevant California authorities issued an announcement announcing that Yosemite National Park would be closed.
The announcement stated: “All park entrance stations and roads will be closed from 5 pm on Thursday, September 17, 2020.” As the air quality in the coming days is expected to be in an unhealthy to dangerous range, the park closure is expected to last at least the entire weekend.
The press release stated that park officials will continue to evaluate the effects of smoke, the Air Quality Index (AQI) and nearby fire activities, and the park will reopen when the safety of visitors and employees is guaranteed.
According to the report, the press release indicated that the decision to close was "consistent" with the neighboring national parks, but in fact the closure of Yosemite came later than other parks.
Employees who have worked in hazardous conditions for several days said they hope officials will make this decision sooner because the air quality index in the park often exceeds 500.
"We are in pain in the smoke," said Lena Sayler, an employee of Avani Hotel.
Seiler and her colleagues live in Yosemite Valley.
Saylor said that they were able to leave the park on the 15th "because of good luck."
On the 16th, Reuters analysis of California air quality data showed that although the smog in some areas has begun to decrease, in more than 120 locations monitored by environmental officials, except for about 20 locations, the air quality in other locations was on the 13th. And 14 are at moderate to harmful levels.
Data Map: On September 15, local time, the White House has approved the request of Oregon Governor Kate Brown and declared that the state has entered a "major disaster."
The home of a state assemblyman in Oregon burned down
Has resisted proposals to combat climate change
In 2019, Republican Senator Fred Girod of Oregon, in order to resist the motion to fight climate change, went on strike by various means.
One year later, wildfires broke out in the mountains of Oregon. The 69-year-old Gilode’s home near the Santiam River was destroyed by the "Beach Creek Wildfire", leaving only two stone pillars and chimneys erected between the ruins. .
According to the US "World Journal" report, when Gilrod returned home on the 13th, he saw the bird-watching balcony on weekdays was distorted by the fire.
He said: "It hurts to watch." He said that there are three cats in the family, and the whereabouts of them are unknown now. I am afraid that it will be more and more difficult. This is the saddest loss for him and his wife Daphne Girold in this wildfire. .
At the end of June 2019, 11 Republican senators, including Gilod, in order to resist a bill to fight climate change, joined hands to resort to strikes, including not appearing in Congress and traveling to other states.
The content of the proposal aims to substantially reduce Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
However, Gilod said in an interview on the 14th that the house was not destroyed by climate change, but was caused by environmentalism.
He said: "Climate change is not a problem. Environmentalists make the logging area full of flammable grass, which will cause my home to be burned."
In recent days, a record-breaking wildfire disaster has triggered discussions from all walks of life in the United States.
The US media believes that climate change is the main reason for the frequent occurrence of wildfires, and the mismanagement of forests by the US government is also a major reason for the frequent occurrence of wildfires.
Analysis believes that October and November of the previous year were the real "hill fire season" in the United States. The western region will still face severe tests in the coming months, and the losses caused by wild fires may continue to expand.