California’s Wildfires Are Nearly 9 Times The Size of Casper
We are no strangers to wildfires in Wyoming. Just this August, the Britania Fire burned 26,000+ acres in southeastern Wyoming. It is very hard to watch these families lose their loved ones and their homes, especially since we know first hand the devastation these wildfires can cause.
The immense wildfires currently burning through California are claimed to be the most destructive in the state's history. The Camp Fire in particular is the state's most deadly fire, replacing the record held by a Los Angeles brush fire in 1933 that killed 29. The current death toll of the Camp Fire is 48.
To give some perspective of the scale of these massive wildfires, NBC published an interactive map that allows you to compare the size of the three California wildfires (Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire, and Hill Fire) to the size of any area on the map.
The largest of the three wildfires is the Camp Fire in Norther California. If this fire were on top of the Casper area, it would cover the entire town along with Mills and Evansville and much more. As of Tuesday, the Camp Fire stretched across 201 square miles, that is 8.7 times the size of Casper.
The Woolsey Fire near Los Angeles in Southern California has covered 156 square miles. That is 6.8 times the size of Casper.
The Hill Fire is the smallest of the three, but would still be a devastating event in Casper. The Hill Fire was 7 square miles as of Tuesday. That is 0.3 times the size of Casper.
It is hard to image the devastation these families are going through. If you would like to help, the New York Times put together a list of ways you can assist those who have been displaced and those in need.