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Wednesday 4 August 2021 8:37 am West Coast wildfires rage across record areas in the United States, but Silicon Valley thinks it has the answer
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The Dixie Fire, currently the largest wildfire in California, has burned nearly 200,000 acres and destroyed at least 20 structures. The fire is 22 percent contained. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Wildfire season in the United States has devastated swathes of the West Coast in a way not seen since the disastrous summer of 2017.
The problem is getting worse across numerous states. This year, 37,803 fires have raged, burning more than 3.4 million acres, both significantly up on last year.
As of August 1, there were 91 fires raging across 12 states in the country, primarily on the West Coast.
“There are a couple thousand houses down there and there’s not a lot to stop it so we want to stop it on this ridge,” said Kotowski.
Which is why they handed over control of their property’s irrigation system to Chief Dave Winnacker of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District.
“He will basically wet down the surfaces, wet down the areas and deal with it,” said Kotowski.
Chief Winnacker teamed up with undergrad students at Vanderbilt University to come up with an app that allows his fire department to access web-enabled sprinkler systems throughout Moraga and Orinda.
It’s a new tool in the fight against #wildfires.
“We need to go through the trees clean them all out them out,” he said. “Long before we moved here, we take out everything from the ground up. It’s a way just clear out all the dead brush and stuff.”
Dowell’s home is near a portion of the north Orinda shaded fuel break. On Sunday, firefighters were getting reoriented with fire trails and checking trail conditions.
“Right now, our heavy fuels that are really an indicator of how far along in fire season we are as dry as they would be in a normal year the first of July,” said Dennis Rein with the Moraga-Orinda Fire District.