More than 5,500 California wildfires have ravaged a total of 180,000 acres since the beginning of the year.

The ongoing four-year drought that California is facing, which has been known to induce some of the wildfires, has caused California governor Jerry Brown to declare “a state of emergency.”

“It used to be that there was a big difference between the moisture in the green versus what looks dead, the brown vegetation,” said Margaret Stewart, spokesperson for the LA Fire Department. “Now, the water content is so low in the green vegetation that it’s almost like it’s dead. So, that means fires start and spread more easily.”

Among the largest and most active wildfires in California this summer is the so-called “Rocky Fire.” According to NPR, this wildfire alone has destroyed over 60,000 acres of land in the state and forced 1,480 people from their homes. Originating just north of San Francisco, the fire has outsized the city itself.

Jackie Gao

Compared to last year, there have been around 1,200 more fires and 87,600 more acres damaged. Some fires have started in the past few weeks due to thousands of lightning strikes in dry areas caused by the drought. So far, 23 different areas in California have had wildfires.

Forest fires often occur because of intense heat applied to arid surfaces such as dead and fallen trees. When exposed to heat, extremely dry plants release explosive gases, which combust into flames while combining with oxygen in the air, according to The New York Times.

To contain the flames, firefighters reduce the amount of fuel by cutting or burning plants and trees. They also spray water to cool the vegetation because it turns into steam while in contact with heat. Fire retardants, an orange-pink substance that is usually released by planes, chemically reduce the amount of volatile gas the plants produce.

Many water limitations and rules have been set across the state in many cities because of the drought situation and scarcity of water. Billboards are often seen displaying the phrase “Brown is the new green” to discourage residents from watering their lawns; some cities have also enforced rules as to how much water can be used.

Because Santa Clara is already conserving water, the government only requires the lowering of water consumption by eight percent. According to the city of San Jose, houses are appointed certain days to water the lawn, depending on their location. In San Jose, washing the driveway and sidewalks with drinkable water, filling up a pool and providing water in restaurants without a request from the customers are considered illegal as a result of the new regulations.

While for some people the drought and water usage are the most important issues, others in wildfire danger zones have to worry about when to evacuate their homes and how to rebuild them after drought-induced fires.

Water limitations as a result of the drought began as early as April when governor Brown demanded a 25 percent decrease in water use by towns and cities in California.

More rules came into effect starting June and are supposed to stay in effect until February 2016. The new rules involve the watering of lawns, washing of cars and other excessive uses of water. Cities that maintain a certain level of water usage will be rewarded for their water conservation, while those that don’t may be faced with fines of up to $10,000.

By March, cities had lowered water usage by an average of 3.6 percent, which did not match Brown’s expectation for the state. In response, he furthered the limitations and cities were required to lower their usage by percentages ranging from eight to 36 percent this past summer.

According to Stewart, the two things that the fire department would suggest to people living in fire hazard zones are to prepare for the possibility of a fire with emergency kits and to evacuate quickly when a fire arrives.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on August 31, 2015.