Wildfires blaze through the state of California, destroying homes and wide amounts of land. California has been in a serious drought for about three years, and in August, 100% of the state was considered to be in a full drought. Fireworks have even been illegal for sometime now, and dozens of families were forced to evacuate to safer locations.

California resident, Chloe Hoff, had to evacuate her home for about a day to steer away from smoke and ash.

“My mom and I were always aware California has been prone to wildfires, but I never realized how close to my home it would be. I was almost annoyed when the fires broke out again this year. I really didn’t want to deal with the catastrophe it would bring. Other than my friend Kyle, I thankfully have no other friends or family losing anything to the fires.”

Ash Weinfurter, a California teen, was shocked by the affected area of the fires.

“I was worried when the fires grew closer to my local ice skating rink. Our indoor ice skating rink is where my friends and I spend most of our time, and my coworker had lost her entire house from the fires. There is not much to do to prevent these fires, which makes things worse. I’m glad they’ve made efforts to contain the fires, but it’s not always easy.”

Containing fires is a risky business, though. Aircraft plays a serious roll when keeping fires contained from freeways and towns.

“My dad used to be a firefighter,” says Kyle Luke, Yorba Linda local. “He’s retired now, and I can tell he wishes there was more he could do to help prevent these. Even simple things, like electrical equipment, cause serious fires. While I was at school a week or so ago, I got a call from my mom. Half of my house got caught into a fire and burned. Help came immediately and I did not lose too much to the fire, but it was terrifying to get that call.”

There have been over dozens of fatalities to these fires, with many people missing. Over 221,000 acres of land has been recently burned throughout California. National help is well needed.