An 82 year-old amputee with one leg was killed in a blaze that consumed 20 homes in Southern California after ignoring an evacuation order for San Diego County. Time reports that the fire consumed 4 square miles of land since Sunday, and that although the flame has since died, 40 mph wind gusts may reignite the wildfire.
The man, who lived in Tierra del Sol, "felt he was going to be OK if he stayed," Sherriff Lt. Rose Kurupas told the U-T San Diego newspaper. "He chose to stay and that's sad."
"That's why we issue these evacuations," he added.
The evacuations were conducted through reverse 911 calls from the sheriff's department as hundreds of firefighters fought to contain the fire.
Even now, Fire spokesman Andy Menshek warned, "If we get one ember over the [containment] line, the fire could take off."
A study by Climate Central, a N.J. non-profit climate change group, found that the duration of wildfire season has increased over the past few decades. According to the research, fire seasons are 75 days longer than they were 40 years ago.
Richard Wiles, director of research at Climate Central asserts that "The fire season is about two and a half months longer than it was in the 1970s."
He adds, "Those impacts are clearly related to climate."
However, Jet Propulsion Laboratory climatologist Bill Patzert believes that human settlement in forested areas is to blame.
"Ninety percent of the fires are human-ignited," he said.
Stay tuned to Latinos Post for any updates concerning the Southern California Wildfire.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
