HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Apocalypse 2020: Is this the end of the world? Internet scared as California skies turn orange after wildfires

The sky's color and the toxic environment were due to strong winds blowing smoke and ash from the ongoing California wildfires amid historic heatwave

California residents woke up to an orange sky as a plume of smoke from wildfires descended on the city of San Francisco on September 9. The sky’s color and the toxic environment was due to strong winds blowing smoke and ash from the ongoing California wildfires amid historic heatwave. BBC reported that nearly 14,000 firefighters are fighting 28 major blazes across California amid the heatwave which has burnt more than 2.5M acres in the state this year and killed at least eight people.

Former president Barack Obama tweeted reminding people to vote wisely as such unprecedented calamities occur. He wrote: "The fires across the West Coast are just the latest examples of the very real ways our changing climate is changing our communities. Protecting our planet is on the ballot. Vote like your life depends on it — because it does."

"This is not a common sight because this takes very specific conditions in order for this to happen," National Weather Service (NWS) forecaster Brian Garcia told SFGate as reported by BBC. "Obviously, you need fires that have ample smoke production." As a result of wildfires across California, on September 9, United States Forest Services wrote about the temporary closure of national forests. It announced an additional closure of 10 National Forests — Eldorado National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Plumas National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Tahoe National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The decision will be reassessed daily as conditions change.

To capture the apocalyptic orange morning, people started posting pictures of the sky under #apocalypse2020. The images showed poor air quality and horrendous heatwave and smoke. Some recalled the 'Blade Runner 2049' soundtrack while others urged people to vote wisely to avoid calamities. Some even called Trump "orange goblin", waiting for him to comment on the catastrophic conditions. Others felt Trump has repeatedly ignored global warming. One user wrote, "SF today fits really well with Blade Runner 2049 music #apocalypse2020 #SanFrancisco."

Another concurred, "'Blade Runner 2049' is looking more and more like a reality with what’s going on in cali rn.. #apocalypse2020."

Some felt it looked like the “series finale of Earth” is approaching.

A user joked about Trump and the orange sky. "Has Orange Goblin POTUS said anything about these orange Skies? #apocalypse2020.”

Another user wrote, "Even the sky’s of SF are Trump orange. Big things coming."

One said, "It's the end of the world."

Some felt Trump ignored global warming. "Global Warming is happening in front of our eyes. California & many other states are on fire. Mr Trump has repeatedly ignored Global Warming as if it is nothing. This year your vote matters. #Election2020 #CaliforniaWildfires."