U of G climate professor says California has the right conditions to start a wildfire

Gadalof says the fires are being amplified by a severe drought from last year and unusually strong Santa Ana winds. Water-bombing pilots from Canada are helping fight the blazes.

Firefighters continue to battle massive California wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and claimed the lives of at least 24 people as of Monday.

According to reports, an incoming forecast this week is calling for more winds after calmer ones offered firefighters some relief this past weekend.

Ze’ev Gadalof, professor at the University of Guelph (U of G) and director of the Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics Research lab, said California has exactly the right conditions to start a wildfire.

“They had a years and years long drought, followed by a pulse of wet weather associated with last year’s El Nino event that produced a huge flush of fine fuels, and they’ve had droughts since then,” Gadalof said.

He said the area hasn’t had rain since May and the blazes have amplified as a result. Unusually strong Santa Ana winds have also contributed.

Since Jan. 7, water-bombing pilots and crews from parts of Canada, including Alberta and Quebec, have been deployed to Southern California to help battle the fires.

Gadalof said Canada’s firefighting teams are highly experienced and incredibly well-trained.

“We do it in Canada already. We deploy firefighting between provinces as the fire season moves around, and to me, it seems like a natural thing to do to send those teams down south to help our neighbours,” he said.