In this timely video, UCSB Professors Frank Davis and Dar Roberts discuss the threat of brush fires, their effects, and their impact on the ecosystems of Southern California. The good news is that fires aren’t always a bad thing for vegetation; the bad news is that the number of fires is increasing, partly for anthropogenic reasons, and that 2013 is looking worse in terms of Southern California fires than any other year since 2007. Check out the UCSB News and Research feature here.
The White Fire, which began Monday afternoon near the Santa Ynez River, threatened about 50 homes and cabins and prompted campground evacuations during the Memorial Day holiday. Campgrounds remain closed, but the home evacuations were called off Tuesday evening. The fire burned through Sage Hill campground Monday. About 4,000 people were evacuated, but there have been no reports of injuries.
