Nearly 30 people lost their lives in the camp fire that recently broke out in Paradise, Butte County in Northern California. The widespread impact has put the camp fire on par with the fires that broke out in Griffith Park in 1933, making it the worst to hit the state. Prolonged lack of rain in the region left vegetation in the area devoid of moisture which only intensified the camp fire’s impact.
• Hundreds have gone missing
• More than hundred thousand acres of land have been scorched
• Nearly seven thousand residences and commercial enterprises have been severely damaged
• Almost a hundred and fifty thousand local inhabitants have evacuated their homes in search of safety
• Three personnel on the official fire brigade team have been wounded
• Tens of thousands of buildings and establishments are still under threat
• Only twenty five percent of the fire has been brought under control
More than eighty thousand acres of land were burnt away in the Woolsey Fire that broke out earlier. Two individuals lost their lives. Close to 200 buildings were damaged. Ten percent of the fire had been brought under control by Sunday. Nearly 70 percent of the Hill Fire that broke out around the same time as the Woolsey Fire had been brought under control by Sunday. The Hill Fire wiped out more than four and a half thousand acres of land.
Rescue officials are still unable to cope with these natural disasters that seem to be getting worse with every new occurrence. State funds are expected to be impacted by hundreds of billions of dollars in expenditure.
Experts state that extreme dry and warm weather conditions have only made the region all the more vulnerable to the possibility of such fires.
Although a lack of effective forest management has been cited as one of the contributing factors, it must be noted that a substantial portion of land is currently under federal control or privately owned. Besides which, climate change has been persistently making significant inroads into the environment’s resiliency.
Some sources have cited damage in a PG&E transmission tower in the region as the possible source of the Camp Fire. The Gas and Electric Company reported the same in an official statement to the local regulation authorities. However, PG&E has categorically declined the possibility that disruption to its infrastructure in the area was the root cause of the camp fire.
Strong winds have been carrying smoke, burning particles and embers from the fire affected regions outwards into areas yet to be hit by the fires. This has made it increasingly difficult to keep damage to a minimum. Bay Area has registered record breaking numbers in air particulate content since the camp fire broke out. The quality of air in the area continues to remain harmful.
One of the main concerns for fire squads is that the dry weather is expected to persist long after the camp fire is put out sometime during the middle of this week. In the absence of heavy showers that increase the moisture content, the region is going to stay dry and consequently vulnerable to such outbreaks.
Firefighters are actively working to dampen fire prone zones in Butte County, remove damaged infrastructure and other fire inducing substances from the region. Hundreds of missing locals from Paradise, a town with a population of 27,000, are yet to be found.
Butte County’s Sheriff’s Office opened a center to handle cases of people who had gone missing during the camp fire. The following three numbers can be used to report friends or family members who have gone missing, get status updates, provide additional information on existing cases, give a saliva sample for DNA tests etc.:
• (530) 538-6570
• (530) 538-7544
• (530) 538-7671
The bodies of the 29 victims who lost their lives during the camp fire are being transferred to mortuaries in the Sacramento region. Local authorities in collaboration with California Justice Department’s DNA wing, along with experts from related fields are working towards establishing the identity of the victims.
State officials are confident of restoring normalcy in the town at the earliest. Efforts are underway to repair damage to public institutions and utility services while simultaneously curbing the camp fire flames.