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THE FIRST MAJOR wildfires after the end of California’s five-year drought raged across the state yesterday, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave.
Some 3,000 firefighters were battling several blazes with triple-digit temperatures recorded in valleys and inland areas.
A wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento was only 2% contained by early evening and had destroyed 10 homes, scorching 2,000 acres (800 hectares) of forest and sparking evacuations and road closures.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) said five residents and a firefighter had sustained minor injuries.
Meanwhile a blaze that forced evacuations in San Luis Obispo County tripled in size from yesterday morning to 19,000 acres by the evening. Fanned by hot, dry winds, it was just 10% contained, CalFire said.
Some 17 wildfires in various states of containment were burning in California yesterday, from the Six Rivers National Forest in the north to the San Bernardino Forest east of Los Angeles.
An excessive heat warning has been extended until 11:00 pm (0600 GMT) for much of southern California, with temperature records being broken across the region.
Downtown Los Angeles tied the 1954 record of 96 degrees Fahrenheit (36 Celsius) while the city’s northwestern suburb of Woodland Hills reached a high of 109 degrees, breaking the record of 108 set in 2006.
In a statement the National Weather Service (NWS) said:
Dangerous and potentially life-threatening heat is expected through, when high temperatures between 100 and 110 degrees are expected for many interior sections of southwest California.
The weather service attributed the heat wave to a “strong upper-level high-pressure system centered over the desert southwest,” adding that the heatwave could continue into today.
Hot temperatures will create a dangerous situation in which there is an increased threat of heat-related illnesses. The extended heat wave will also bring elevated fire weather conditions through the weekend.
California Governor Jerry Brown in April declared the official end of the state’s drought that lasted more than five years.
But he kept in place water reporting requirements, as well as bans on practices like watering during or following rainfall and hosing off sidewalks.
“This drought emergency is over, but the next drought could be around the corner,” Brown said in a statement.
“Conservation must remain a way of life.”
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One the plus side if you are paying rent and childcare at the moment and are waiting for the government to sort it out; you can actually survive for a pretty long time on baked beans and seaweed. So, every cloud…
@Hugh Morris: Oh yes. All that.
A very thorough article highlighting the huge issue of childcare in Ireland. My son is starting creche in July, I was very lucky to get him a place through sheer persistence. I was on 22 waiting lists & now it’s going to cost more than our mortgage. The government needs to do A LOT more to help parents
I think childcare costs vary massively outside of Dublin. I know some people paying €150 pw in the west and others paying €800pw in Dublin. The whole thing needs complete overhaul and needs to be regulated and subsidized so it’s affordable for parents and worthwhile for the Childminder.
@Edward Reid: I am aware of a childminder who is minding 4 children. One toddler from early morning and 1 child from 12.30 and two older children from 2 and 3pm respectively. Drop offs and pick ups are required. Children minded in their own home. 7/8 hour days. She is getting a daily rate of 50 euro per day. No breaks during the day, no paid annual leave, no paid sick leave. Parents decide on days required each week. If they don’t need the childminder she doesn’t get paid. Parents complain of lack of child care services but when families have very qualified child care services they under value it completely. Needs complete overhaul
@Sinead O Donnell: If she’s minding the kids in their own home then the parents are her employer and have all of the fun legal obligations that come with that.
If she’s paid €50 a day that seems lower than minimum wage for a start (I don’t know her hours)
It’s not really the system that is wrong there. It’s that she’s getting paid cash in hand (I’m assuming there) and this is absolving her of her rights and the parents of their obligations.
https://www.revenue.ie/en/life-events-and-personal-circumstances/children/registering-child-minders-as-employees.aspx
@Michael O’Neill: I agree with most of the content of your reply. Unfortunately as she minds kids in their home, she cannot register as self employed and as she is not a live in nanny, the childrens parents are exempt from revenue obligations. In this case the child minder falls within the cracks of a very inefficient system.
Genuine question, (I don’t have children), Why is Childcare so darn expensive in Ireland? Is it due to cost of insurance, lack of state investment, lack of pricing regulations, rental costs, or privatized bjg profit making creches?? I would love to know the breakdown of overheads for running a creche in a city for example.
@Ang: all of the reasons you gave with the exception of big profits. Most childcare facilities run by individuals spend far more time on filling out forms, register children , trying to get answers to queries and the such like out of hours than they do actually looking after children.
@Ang: it is so expensive mainly because insurance in Ireland is fully monopolised and is operating as a cartel. At the moment there is only 1 company that provides insurance to children in creches. Its something around 900 per child.
Also the government never heard of the word “childcare”.
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