Camp Fire (2018): Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 39°50′51″N 121°23′42″W / 39.84750°N 121.39500°W / 39.84750; -121.39500
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== Response ==
== Response ==
On November 10, President [[Donald Trump]] falsely<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/us/politics/fact-check-trump-california-fire-tweet.html</ref><ref>https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/11/politics/california-wildfires-trump-tweets/index.html</ref><ref>https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tweet-about-california-fires-firefighter-union-president-responds-for-what-president-said-about-california-wildfires/</ref><ref>http://fortune.com/2018/11/12/meteorologist-california-fire-donald-trump/</ref><ref>https://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2018/nov/12/donald-trump/trumps-overly-simplistic-and-false-claim-californi/</ref> blamed poor [[forest management]] by the state of California as the cause of recent wildfires in the state, including the Camp Fire and the concurrent [[Woolsey Fire]] in Southern California. In a [[Twitter|tweet]], he threatened to end federal assistance unless the state improves its "gross mismanagement of the forests".<ref>{{cite news |last=Deruy |first=Emily |title=Trump blames poor forest management for California fires, threatens to revoke funding |work=The Mercury News |date=November 10, 2018 |access-date=November 10, 2018 |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/10/trump-blames-poor-forest-management-for-california-fires-threatens-to-revoke-funding/}}</ref>
On November 10, President [[Donald Trump]] blamed poor [[forest management]] by the state of California as the cause of recent wildfires in the state, including the Camp Fire and the concurrent [[Woolsey Fire]] in Southern California. In a [[Twitter|tweet]], he threatened to end federal assistance unless the state improves its "gross mismanagement of the forests".<ref>{{cite news |last=Deruy |first=Emily |title=Trump blames poor forest management for California fires, threatens to revoke funding |work=The Mercury News |date=November 10, 2018 |access-date=November 10, 2018 |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/10/trump-blames-poor-forest-management-for-california-fires-threatens-to-revoke-funding/}}</ref>


Fire experts rejected Trump's claims, noting that California is experiencing unusually dry conditions and abnormally high fire danger.<ref name=RSCampFire>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/california-wildfires-trump-754508/ |title=California Wildfires Kill At Least 9 as Trump Blames the State |work=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=November 10, 2018}}</ref> Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, described Trump's assertion about the state's forest management practices as "dangerously wrong", noting that 60 percent of California forests are directly managed by the federal government, which has reduced spending on forestry in recent years.<ref name=Rice>[https://twitter.com/jdelreal/status/1061370261897801728 Tweet by Jose Del Real], November 10, 2018</ref>
Fire experts rejected Trump's claims, noting that California is experiencing unusually dry conditions and abnormally high fire danger.<ref name=RSCampFire>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/california-wildfires-trump-754508/ |title=California Wildfires Kill At Least 9 as Trump Blames the State |work=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=November 10, 2018}}</ref> Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, described Trump's assertion about the state's forest management practices as "dangerously wrong", noting that 60 percent of California forests are directly managed by the federal government, which has reduced spending on forestry in recent years.<ref name=Rice>[https://twitter.com/jdelreal/status/1061370261897801728 Tweet by Jose Del Real], November 10, 2018</ref>

Revision as of 19:29, 16 November 2018

This article is about the 2018 wildfire in California. For the fire at a campsite in general, see Campfire. For the youth organization, see Camp Fire.

Camp Fire (2018)
The Camp Fire as seen from the Landsat 8 satellite on November 8, 2018
Date(s)November 8, 2018 – present
6:29 a.m. – present (PT)
LocationButte County, California
Coordinates39°50′51″N 121°23′42″W / 39.84750°N 121.39500°W / 39.84750; -121.39500
Statistics
Burned area140,000 acres (57,000 ha)[1]
Impacts
Deaths63 civilians[2]
Non-fatal injuriesTwelve civilians and five firefighters[1] [3]
Structures destroyed11,862
Ignition
CauseUnder investigation
Map
Camp Fire (2018) is located in California
Camp Fire (2018)
The fire's location in northern California

The Camp Fire is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.[4][5][6] Named after Camp Creek Road—its place of origin[7]—the fire started on November 8, 2018, in Butte County, in Northern California. The fire has caused 63 civilian fatalities, injured three firefighters, covered an area of about 140,000 acres (57,000 ha), and had destroyed 11,862 structures, including 9,700 single-family homes and 118 apartment buildings, with most of the damage occurring within the first two days of the fire.[2] The fire forced the evacuation of Paradise, Magalia, Centerville, Concow, Pulga, and Yankee Hill and threatened the communities of Butte Creek Canyon, Butte Valley, Chico, Forest Ranch, Helltown, Inskip, Oroville, and Stirling City.[8][9] Within the first day, the Camp Fire had essentially destroyed the community of Concow and the town of Paradise,[10] incinerating homes, businesses, churches, a hospital, schools, and a rest home.[11][12] The fire began on the same day as the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire in Southern California.

Timeline

The Camp Fire started at sunrise on Thursday, November 8, and was first reported at 6:33 a.m. PST, near Pulga, California, near Camp Creek Road in Butte County, California. Soon after the ignition of the Camp Fire, initial attack firefighters were dispatched to a report of a brush fire under Pacific Gas and Electric Company power lines near Poe Dam on the Feather River. Arriving 10 minutes later, the first units on scene observed rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior, due to low humidity and high winds in the area. The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning for most of Northern California's interior, as well as Southern California, through the morning of November 9. Pacific Gas and Electric reported that power lines were down.[13] Shortly after the fire erupted, the Butte County Sheriff's Office ordered the evacuation of Paradise.[14] Other locations were also issued evacuation orders, while others were issued evacuation warnings, and emergency shelters were established.[15]

Due to the speed of the fire, most residents of Concow and many residents of Paradise were unable to evacuate before the fire arrived. The fire spread so rapidly that firefighters stopped attempting to control the flames, and instead were in rescue mode to help people get out alive.[9] By 8:00 p.m. PST that day, the fire had burned 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) and threatened about 15,000 structures,[16] with wind speeds approaching 50 miles per hour (22 m/s), allowing the fire to grow rapidly.[17] According to Captain Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), "Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it's that kind of devastation. The wind that was predicted came and just wiped it out."[18]

By the morning of November 10, the Camp Fire was reported by Cal Fire to have grown to a size of 100,000 acres (40,000 ha) and was 20% contained. By then, an estimated 6,713 structures had been destroyed by the fire, surpassing the Tubbs Fire as the most destructive wildfire in California history.[19][20] Also on the 10th, an additional fourteen bodies were discovered, bringing the total number of confirmed casualties to 23. The following day, the death toll increased to 29 after six more bodies were discovered.[21]

By the morning of November 13, Cal Fire reported the fire was 125,000 acres (51,000 ha) and was 30% contained.[22] The fire had destroyed over 8,700 residences in addition to commercial buildings and other structures, with most of the damage occurring within the first two days of the fire.[1][23] The death toll increased to 42, making it the single-deadliest wildfire in California history, surpassing the 1933 Griffith Park Fire, which killed 29 people.[22] By the evening of the 13th, the death toll had increased to 48.[24] On November 15, the numbers of firefighters and equipment employed in fighting the fire included 5,596 firefighters, 622 engines, 75 water tenders, 101 fire crews, 103 bulldozers and 24 helicopters from all over the state and the Western United States.[25]

As of November 15 at 7:00 am PST, the fire was 40% contained with 140,000 acres burned, and still threatened 15,500 structures.[1]

Impact

Hot spots and a large plume of smoke from the Camp Fire in Northern California were seen from space on Thursday, November 8.

Traffic jams on the few evacuation routes led to cars being abandoned while people evacuated on foot, and also caused at least four deaths when the fire overtook people who were trapped in their vehicles, as well as one person outside a vehicle.[26] Many seniors were evacuated by passersby and neighbors, with at least one story of evacuees jumping into a reservoir to escape the flames.[27]

The community of Concow and the town of Paradise were largely destroyed within the first day of the fire, losing an estimated 80% to 90% of their buildings. At least five of the public schools in Paradise were destroyed, as were a Christmas tree farm and over 7,000 other structures.[10][1] The Honey Run Covered Bridge over nearby Butte Creek, the last three-span Pratt-style truss bridge in the United States, was incinerated on November 10.[28][29]

On November 11, it was estimated that 52,000 people had evacuated.[30]

As of the morning of November 15, 56 fatalities were confirmed due to the fire while another 130 people remained unaccounted for.[31] By evening, the death toll had reached 63.[25] The number of missing persons has been raised to 631 on November 16, 2018.[32]

The smoke from the fire has resulted in widespread air pollution throughout the San Francisco Bay Area[33] and Central Valley,[34] prompting the closure of public schools in five Bay Area counties and dozens of districts in the Greater Sacramento area on November 16.[35][36]

Summary of structural damage as of November 15:

  • Single Family Residences: 115 Damaged, 9,700 Destroyed
  • Multiple Family Residences: 13 Damaged, 118 Destroyed
  • Mixed Commercial, Residences: 0 Damaged, 4 Destroyed
  • Commercial: 50 Damaged, 290 Destroyed
  • Other Minor Structures: 41 Damaged, 1,750 Destroyed
  • Totals: 336 Damaged, 11,858 Destroyed[25]

Response

On November 10, President Donald Trump blamed poor forest management by the state of California as the cause of recent wildfires in the state, including the Camp Fire and the concurrent Woolsey Fire in Southern California. In a tweet, he threatened to end federal assistance unless the state improves its "gross mismanagement of the forests".[37]

Fire experts rejected Trump's claims, noting that California is experiencing unusually dry conditions and abnormally high fire danger.[38] Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, described Trump's assertion about the state's forest management practices as "dangerously wrong", noting that 60 percent of California forests are directly managed by the federal government, which has reduced spending on forestry in recent years.[39]

The Los Angeles Times reported that the Camp Fire was fueled by dry grass amid sparse pine and oak woodlands that last burned 10 years ago.[40]

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and state utility regulators are investigating the Pacific Gas & Electric Company to determine if they complied with state laws in the areas burned in the fire. The Associated Press noted that the fire started near a property where the company detected sparks on the day before its outbreak.[41][42] Following the fire, PG&E and its parent company were sued in the San Francisco County Superior Court by multiple victims of the Camp Fire, who accuse PG&E of failure to properly maintain its infrastructure and equipment.[43]

The Butte County Sheriff's Office opened a call center, staffed daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., to provide and receive information and inquiries on missing persons.[44][45]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Incident Update November 15, 2018 am" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "Number missing in US fire leaps to 631". November 16, 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  3. ^ "Five firefighters among dozen-plus patients burned in Camp Fire".
  4. ^ Baldassari, Erin (November 11, 2018). "Camp Fire death toll grows to 29, matching 1933 blaze as state's deadliest". East Bay Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. ^ "The Latest: Death toll from N. California fire rises to 23". Newser. Associated Press. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  6. ^ Alexander, Kurtis; Ravani, Sarah; Allday, Erin (November 10, 2018). "Camp Fire is most destructive wildfire in California history: 9 dead, 6,713 structures incinerated". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "Why is it called the Camp Fire? How California's most destructive wildfire got its name". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  8. ^ McVicker, David; Russell, Holly; Schmieding, Stephanie (November 9, 2018). "Camp Fire: Latest Numbers". KEZI 9 News. ABC. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Afzal, Rizwan (November 9, 2018). "PARADISE, Calif. - Bodies found in burnt cars as Calif. fire incinerates town". STL.News. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Wright, Pam (November 11, 2018). "At Least 23 Dead in Wildfire That Destroyed Northern California Town and Is Now the Most Destructive Fire in California History". The Weather Channel. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  11. ^ "Camp Fire devastates Paradise near Chico — businesses, church, numerous homes burn". San Francisco Chronicle. November 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Graff, Amy (November 9, 2018). "Paradise lost: Before-and-after photos show a town devoured by a raging wildfire". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  13. ^ "PG&E power lines may have sparked deadly Camp Fire, according to radio transmissions". The Mercury News. November 9, 2018.
  14. ^ Cal Fire (November 7, 2018). "CAL FIRE on Twitter". Red Flag Warning - Twitter. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  15. ^ "PARADISE LOST: Cal Fire Says Camp Fire Has Wiped Out California Town". CBS Sacramento. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  16. ^ "Camp Fire" (PDF). Cal Fire. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "California wildfire leaves town in ruins". BBC News. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  18. ^ "Butte County wildfire grows to 70,000 acres". KCRA. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  19. ^ Ravani, Sarah, "California wildfire: Destructive Camp Fire grows to 70,000 acres", San Francisco Chronicle (November 9, 2018)
  20. ^ "Campfire Incident Update" (PDF). Cal Fire. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  21. ^ "Death toll climbs to 29 in California's Camp Fire, state's deadliest in 85 years". NBC News. November 11, 2018.
  22. ^ a b "Incident Update, November 13, 2018 7:00 am" (PDF).
  23. ^ Bever, Lindsey; Achenbach, Joel; Wootson Jr., Cleve R. (November 12, 2018). "As Camp Fire death toll climbs, investigators face grim task of finding remains". The Washington Post.
  24. ^ KCRA Staff (November 14, 2018). "Death toll rises to 48 in Butte County wildfire". KCRA. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  25. ^ a b c "Camp Fire". InciWeb Incident Information System, United States Forest Service. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  26. ^ "At Least 9 Dead In Butte County Fire; 6,500 Homes Lost, 90,000 Acres Burned". CBS San Francisco. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  27. ^ "Wildfire survivors: 'We swam to safety'". BBC News. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  28. ^ Robertson, Michelle (November 10, 2018). "132-year-old Honey Run Covered Bridge, the last of its kind, destroyed by wildfire". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  29. ^ Hernández, Lauren (November 10, 2018). "Camp Fire destroyed 132-year-old wooden covered bridge that was monument to Gold Rush era". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  30. ^ McBride, Ashley; Gutierrez, Melody; Asimov, Nanette (November 11, 2018). "More than 4,000 now fighting Camp Fire, with a wary eye on the wind". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  31. ^ "California wildfires death toll rises to 59 with dozens still unaccounted for". CBS News. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  32. ^ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46230927
  33. ^ Dowd, Katie; Graff, Amy (November 15, 2018). "When will air quality improve in the Bay Area?". SFGate. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  34. ^ "Smoke from several wildfires affecting air quality in the Valley". KFSN-TV Fresno. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  35. ^ McBride, Ashley; Wu, Gwendolyn (November 15, 2018). "Public schools across the Bay Area will be closed Friday due to smoke hazard". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  36. ^ McGough, Michael; Moleski, Vincent (November 15, 2018). "See which Sacramento-area schools, colleges are closed Friday due to air quality". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  37. ^ Deruy, Emily (November 10, 2018). "Trump blames poor forest management for California fires, threatens to revoke funding". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  38. ^ "California Wildfires Kill At Least 9 as Trump Blames the State". Rolling Stone. November 10, 2018.
  39. ^ Tweet by Jose Del Real, November 10, 2018
  40. ^ California’s most destructive wildfire should not have come as a surprise. Los Angeles Times, November 10, 2018
  41. ^ Utility emailed woman about problems 1 day before fire, by Martha Mendoza and Garance Burke, AP News, November 13, 2018
  42. ^ Chamberlain, Samuel (November 12, 2018). "Utility contacted woman about power line problems day before deadly wildfire, report says". Fox News. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  43. ^ Morris, J.D. (November 13, 2018). "PG&E sued by Camp Fire victims". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  44. ^ "Butte County Sheriff's Office activates missing persons call center", Twitter feed, Butte County Sheriff (November 11, 2018)
  45. ^ Seldon, Aja, "Missing persons call center activated for Camp Fire", KRON4 (November 11, 2018)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Camp Fire.
External 3D models
3D model icon Camp Fire Map - Esri
(revised when new data are released)
3D model icon Butte : US Wildfires
Google crisis map
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Camp_Fire_(2018)&oldid=869156217"