EXAMPLE 3 California wildfires

California wildfires raged across the state in 2014.

In 2014, severe drought continued to batter the state of California and large areas of the western United States. The drought contributed to a series of wildfires that consumed hundreds of thousands of acres across the region. Table 1 contains a data set, which includes a listing of the uncontrolled wildfires raging around the state of California as of August 22, 2014. We will learn in Section 1.2 about how data sets are structured. Meanwhile, this is the first data set we look at, which gives us a chance to think about how these fires affected the lives of ordinary Californians: the lives lost, the homes destroyed, the forests and wildlife burned. As statisticians, we should always remember that behind the data lie the stories of real people. As statisticians, we will learn to apply the power of statistical analysis to improve the lives of the people behind the data. Let's get started.

Table 1.1: Table 1 California wildfires in August 2014
Fire Location Size (acres) Percent contained
Eiler Lassen National Forest 32,416 97
Happy Camp
Complex		 Klamath National Forest 9,844 10
July Complex Klamath National Forest 31,945 25
Junction Merced-Mariposa Unit, Cal Fire 612 65
KNF Beaver Klamath National Forest 32,307 93
Lodge
Complex		 Mendocino National Forest 12,535 95
Log Klamath National Forest 3,629 95
Way Central California District 3,858 48
Table 1.1: Source: National Interagency Fire Center, www.nifc.gov.