As we battle another wildfire season on the west coast, it’s essential to find good resources.
This summer is heating up, and any Californian knows that wildfire season is something to be taken very seriously. The Caldor Fire recently caused thousands of south Lake Tahoe residents to evacuate late yesterday, as it has grown dangerously close to the basin. Get real-time evacuation updates from the County of El Dorado on Twitter.
Third round of #CaldorFire evacuation orders for South Lake Tahoe basin. Please read, heed and share. #StayInformedStaySafe pic.twitter.com/y53my4VBq2
— County of El Dorado (@CountyElDorado) August 30, 2021
This interactive #FireMappers map is a great tool maintained by the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS (NAPSG) Foundation, which keeps track of all the wildfires currently happening in the United States.
They also have a map of places that have been evacuated by county, and a map of evacuation shelters and their status. For real-time evacuations and immediate threats, it’s best to keep an eye on Cal Fire, but the NAPSG map is a good resource for big-picture wildfire updates around the state.
On the left-hand side of the map, you can see your current location and zoom in and out. There’s a search bar in the top left-hand corner to input specific places or addresses. The bar on the right has the following:
- An information button explaining how to use the map
- A legend depicting the fires’ size, containment status, perimeters, and weather warnings. The bigger the fire icon, the bigger the fire.
- Layers for you to filter data from different feeds
- A “gallery” allowing you to change the map’s format (topographic, street map, etc)
- A tool that tells you the measurement of a given distance or area on the map
- A tool allowing you to input data from additional feeds
- A button for sharing the map
When navigating in the map itself, you can click on each county to see its total population and population by square mile. When you click on each wildfire icon, you will see data including the number of acres burned, percent contained, cause, date/time of discovery, and date/time of the last update. The map also shows hot spots detected by satellite but unconfirmed by experts.
#DixieFire NEW EVACUATION ORDER AND WARNING ISSUED. pic.twitter.com/aDI3J3ijPE
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 31, 2021
At the moment, there are dozens of wildfires burning around the state, including the Dixie Fire, which is still raging in Lassen County and Shasta County. Remember to keep an eye on Cal Fire for information regarding real-time evacuations and immediate threats.
Featured image: Screenshot from #FireMappers via NAPSG Foundation