Current:Home > StocksAmerican Climate Video: In Case of Wildfire, Save Things of Sentimental Value-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
American Climate Video: In Case of Wildfire, Save Things of Sentimental Value
View Date:2024-12-23 14:39:24
The 12th of 21 stories from the American Climate Project, an InsideClimate News documentary series by videographer Anna Belle Peevey and reporter Neela Banerjee.
CHICO, California—In disaster-prone regions, locals often have a plan for what they would save.
Randy Larsen based his plan on what had sentimental value. When the Camp Fire ignited on the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, and threatened his home in Butte Creek Canyon, about 13 miles west of Paradise, California, he grabbed things like photographs and letters.
“I was almost on autopilot in a sense of I’ve already had this talk with myself,” he said. “Anytime my house burns down … I’m going to grab this picture that my mother had stitched for me and this quilt. I had already thought that out.”
Despite his precautions, Larsen didn’t really believe his house would burn down.
“It was just kind of like precautionary; just in case, take this stuff that’s kind of super important,” Larsen said.
A week later, he found out that the house was gone.
The Camp Fire was to become California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire to date—with 85 deaths and 18,000 structures destroyed. The blaze occured after the normal fire season had ended and was fueled by dry brush littering the forest floor. A warming climate is extending the fire season and intensifying the dry conditions that invite wildfires.
“I don’t think there’s any question that this wildfire was the consequence of climate change,” Larsen said. “I grew up in California. We’ve never had wildfires in November.”
Larsen, a professor of environmental ethics and philosophy at California State University Chico, believes the Butte Creek Canyon will burn big again, and that wildfire risk will increase as global warming worsens.
Despite this outlook, Larsen is rebuilding his home in the canyon while living in an RV on the property. He wants to build his new house out of plaster rather than wood and install a sprinkler system.
“I wish I could say this is the new normal, but that would be profoundly optimistic if it stayed at being just this bad,” he said. “I haven’t seen any research that suggests that it’s going to level off.”
He added, “I think these are the good old days in terms of wildfire in California, and that’s a bit heartbreaking.”
veryGood! (8785)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- Why TikTok's Viral Sleepy Girl Mocktail Might Actually Keep You Up at Night
- DNA proves a long-dead man attacked 3 girls in Indiana nearly 50 years ago, police say
- Nikki Haley has spent 20 years navigating Republican Party factions. Trump may make that impossible
- College Football Playoff snubs: Georgia among teams with beef after second rankings
- Winter blast in much of U.S. poses serious risks like black ice, frostbite and hypothermia.
- 911 calls from Maui capture pleas for the stranded, the missing and those caught in the fire’s chaos
- FTC tied up in legal battle, postpones new rule protecting consumers from dealership scams
- Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters
- Michael Jackson Biopic Star Jaafar Jackson Channels King of Pop in New Movie Photo
Ranking
- Asian sesame salad sold in Wegmans supermarkets recalled over egg allergy warning
- Two British warships collided in a Middle East port. No one was injured but damaged was sustained
- Maine's top election official asks state supreme court to review Trump ballot eligibility decision
- Western New Mexico University president defends spending as regents encourage more work abroad
- Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
- The Challenge's Ashley Cain Welcomes Baby 2 Years After Daughter's Death
- Why Jillian Michaels Is Predicting a Massive Fallout From Ozempic Craze
- New Rust shooting criminal charges filed against Alec Baldwin for incident that killed Halyna Hutchins
Recommendation
-
Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
-
North Carolina school board backs away from law on policies on pronouns, gender identity instruction
-
Todd Helton on the cusp of the Baseball Hall of Fame with mile-high ceiling broken
-
Ohio State lands Caleb Downs, the top-ranked player in transfer portal who left Alabama
-
'Yellowstone's powerful opening: What happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton?
-
Texas man pleads guilty to kidnapping teen whose ‘Help Me!’ sign led to Southern California rescue
-
Green Day reflect on the band's evolution and why they are committed to making protest music
-
Trawler crashed on rocks off after crew member fell asleep, boat’s owner says