What is a wildfire>? It is an uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. The State of California has been facing this crisis for quite some time now. The combination of wind and dryness this environment obtains has broken out a lot of fires across California. At its peak in 2018, an estimate of 8,527 fires, 1,893,913 acres burned was recorded in California. It was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season ever recorded in California. It’s truly devastating, lives were lost, homes were destroyed, and the environment was killed. The government and media aren’t raising much awareness of this problem.

It’s now 2019 and although the fires have toned it down there still fires occurring. This sense of sadness overcomes me because the media only gives attention to these catastrophes when they’re at their worst and once the problem dies down a bit everyone moves on as if nothing ever happened. It’s not anyone intentional but it just happens. The best we can do to change it simply just put in more interest and attention to these situations because today it’s them tomorrow who knows it may be us.

Whether it be donating to help the families or just reposting something in regards to the victims of the fires, bringing attention to the issue helps more than we think. The California wildfires are an issue I believe is not talk about enough. It feels as if the issue like many others is being ignored and being pushed off to the side. Further leading me to believe in a corrupt society. Our country is run by a president who isn’t a believer in climate change and believes its a hoax. That just further reinforces and leads me as well as many others to lose trust and feel sad because our own government isn’t addressing an issue that’s a real problem. It’s hard to expect help and awareness from a government that doesn’t even believe in the core of the problem.

All in all, it’s important to remember and take part in being a part of raising awareness on not just this crisis but all crises that our country faces every day. Whether that be a wildfire or a school shooting. Let’s stop giving them the 5 minutes of fame and let’s start building up not only the victims but the core of these issues.