The Thomas fire in Southern California has forced over 110,000 residents to be evacuated from their homes. The cause of the fire is not clear yet but one thing driving the fires are the extremely dry Santa Ana winds. These winds can push a fire the length of a football field in a minute.

These fires have spread all over Southern California from south and north of Los Angeles. The first fire popped up in Ventura and Bel-Air where most structures were damaged.

On Saturday, California Gov. Jerry Brown surveyed the damage from the fire which now has burned over 150,000 acres.

“[We’re] facing a new reality in the state,” he said. “It’s a horror and a horror we need to recover from,” Brown said.

Experts have revealed that climate change is another factor for these fires, and that “California is burning up.”

Wildfires in Northern California are usually started by lightning storms, whereas fires in Southern California are usually caused by humans. While the Thomas fire is 15 percent contained, these fires could last all December. Until the winds stop blowing or until California get a lot of rain, it’s going to be hard to contain these fires.

“I know that there have been multiple fires in Southern California due to the winds,” student Ellie Steger said. “I think that California needs to be able to control the Santa Ana winds so we can prevent these fires”

For the wildlife, usually most of the animals can either fly or run away from the wildfires, while others can burrow underground. For some animals like elk and deer wildfires can be a good thing, but for some other animals like owls and the lynx, these fires can destroy their habitat.

“I know that you can prevent starting fires with cigarettes by disposing of them in places where they can’t be the start of ignition for a wildfire,” student Noah Cutler said. “While some people park their vehicles on dry vegetation, these vehicles can start fires by the heat from the exhaust.”

These fires cause ash to fall from the sky, which is poisonous for human lungs. Over 90% of emissions from fires are small enough to enter the respiratory system. People have been taking precautions to protect their lungs. Many charity groups have been volunteering and handing out free masks to local communities around Southern California.

These fires have been igniting more and more often, and one of the problems people blame is global warming. Sooner or later California will have to find a better resolution to put out these wildfires, as they are getting extremely expensive for the government and people.