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Camp Fire (2018)

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Camp Fire (2018)
Camp Fire oli 2018312 Landsat.jpg
The Camp Fire as seen from the Landsat 8 satellite on November 8, 2018
LocationButte County, California
Coordinates39°50′51″N 121°23′42″W / 39.84750°N 121.39500°W / 39.84750; -121.39500Coordinates: 39°50′51″N 121°23′42″W / 39.84750°N 121.39500°W / 39.84750; -121.39500
Statistics
CostApproximately 19 billion USD
Date(s)November 8, 2018 – present
6:33 a.m.–present (PT)
Burned area149,000 acres (60,000 ha)[1]
CauseUnder investigation
Buildings
destroyed
12,794
Fatalities76 civilians[2]
Non-fatal injuries12 civilians and 5 firefighters[1][3]
Map
Camp Fire (2018) is located in California
Camp Fire (2018)
The fire's location in northern California
Aerial view of Bucks Lake (far left) near the origin of the Camp Fire, with the smoke plume of the ongoing fire, November 10, 2018

The Camp Fire is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.[4] It is also the deadliest wildfire in the United States since the Cloquet fire in 1918,[5] as well as the seventh-deadliest U.S. wildfire overall.[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 76 civilian fatalities, injured 12 civilians and five firefighters, covered an area of about 140,000 acres (57,000 ha), and 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.[8] The damage, as of November 12 is expected to be around 19 billion USD, the most expensive fire in California history.[9]

The fire forced the evacuation of Paradise, Magalia, Centerville, Concow, Pulga, Butte Creek Canyon, and Yankee Hill and threatened the communities of Butte Valley, Chico, Forest Ranch, Helltown, Inskip, Oroville, and Stirling City.[10][11] Within the first day, the fire essentially destroyed the community of Concow and the town of Paradise,[12] incinerating homes, businesses, churches, a hospital, schools, and a rest home.[13][14] The fire began on the same day as the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire in Southern California.

Timeline

The fire started at sunrise on Thursday, November 8, 2018, 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 (PG&E) 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. PG&E reported that power lines were down.[15] Shortly after the fire erupted, the Butte County Sheriff's Office ordered the evacuation of Paradise.[16] Other locations were also issued evacuation orders, while others were issued evacuation warnings, and emergency shelters were established.[17][18]

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.[11] By 8:00 p.m. PST on November 9, the fire had burned 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) and threatened about 15,000 structures,[19] with wind speeds approaching 50 miles per hour (22 m/s), allowing the fire to grow rapidly.[20] 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."[21]

By the morning of November 10, the 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.[22][23] Also on November 10, 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.[24]

By the morning of November 13, Cal Fire reported the fire was 125,000 acres (51,000 ha) and was 30% contained.[25] 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][26] 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.[25] By the evening of November 13, the death toll had increased to 48.[27]

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.[28]

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]

As of November 16 at 6:01 pm PST, the fire was at 146,000 acres with 50% containment; in this briefing it was announced that the death toll had been increased from 63 to 71.[29]

As of November 17 at 6:01 pm PST, the fire was at 149,000 acres with 55% containment, also there was an additional five deaths bringing the total to 76. President Donald Trump, Governor Jerry Brown, Governor-elect Gavin Newsom, and FEMA director Brock Long toured the Paradise area, and held a short conference in the afternoon.[30]

Impact

Hot spots and a large plume of smoke from the Camp Fire in Northern California were seen from space on Thursday, November 8.
This animated GIF shows the growth of the Camp Fire from November 7 through November 12, 2018.

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.[31] Many seniors were evacuated by passersby and neighbors, with at least one story of dozens of evacuees jumping into a reservoir to escape the flames.[32]

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.[12][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.[33][34]

On November 11, it was estimated that 52,000 people had evacuated.[35]

As of the evening of November 17, 76 fatalities were confirmed due to the fire while another 1,276 people remained unaccounted for.[2]

The San Francisco skyline as seen from Coit Tower during the Camp Fire
Bernal Heights in San Francisco during the Camp Fire on November 16
The Bay Bridge as seen during the Camp Fire

The smoke from the fire has resulted in widespread air pollution throughout the San Francisco Bay Area[36] and Central Valley,[37] prompting the closure of public schools in five Bay Area counties and dozens of districts in the Sacramento metropolitan area on November 16.[38][39]

Summary of structural damage as of November 17 according to CalFire:

Damaged and Destroyed Structures[40]
Structure Type Damaged Destroyed Total By Type
Single Family Residence 297 9,700 9,997
Multiple Family Residence 22 191 213
Mixed Commercial / Residence 1 8 9
Commercial 73 367 440
Other Minor Structures 77 2,528 2,605
TOTAL 470 12,794 13,264

Response

The Los Angeles Times reported that the Camp Fire burned across an area that last burned 10 years ago. In that fire the tall timber was destroyed. The Camp Fire was initially fueled by dry grass amid sparse pine and oak woodlands.[41] This has driven most of the post-event discussion away from timber management as a solution.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and state utility regulators are investigating Pacific Gas and Electric Company (known locally as PG&E) to determine if they complied with state laws in the areas burned in the fire. The Associated Press noted the fire started near a property where PG&E detected sparks on the day before its outbreak.[42][43] 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.[44]

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".[45] Trump elaborated on his claims in an interview with Chris Wallace and during his trip to Paradise, stating that "you’ve got to take care of the floors. You know the floors of the forest – very important" and that "[Finland] spent a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things and they don't have any problem".[46]

Fire experts rejected Trump's claims, noting that California is experiencing unusually dry conditions and abnormally high fire danger.[47] 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.[48]

First responders were limited due to an insufficient number of cellular towers which resulted in communication difficulties and reduced WiFi speed—"Paradise quickly lost its equipment, the California Public Utilities Commission confirmed"[49]Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO, committed to fixing this problem as AT&T added mobile sites to improve coverage.[50]

There was an initial widespread confusion about reports of missing people; this limited the search for victims. 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.[51][52]

A Black Hawk helicopter from California's 140th Aviation Regiment drops buckets of water on the Camp Fire, Nov. 14, 2018.
A Black Hawk helicopter from California's 140th Aviation Regiment drops buckets of water in the Feather River Canyon located on the northeast corner of the Camp Fire; Friday, Nov. 16, 2018.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Incident Update November 15, 2018 am" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "Camp Fire's Grim Toll Climbs To 76 Dead, 1,276 Missing". CBS San Francisco. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  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. ^ Martinez, Gina (November 14, 2018). "The California Fire That Killed 48 People Is the Deadliest U.S. Wildfire in a Century". Time. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "America's Most Devastating Wildfires". PBS. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  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. ^ "Number missing in US fire leaps to 631". November 16, 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  9. ^ "California Was Already Facing an Insurance Crisis. The Deadliest Wildfires in State History Are Making It Even Worse". Fortune. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  10. ^ McVicker, David; Russell, Holly; Schmieding, Stephanie (November 9, 2018). "Camp Fire: Latest Numbers". KEZI 9 News. ABC. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Camp Fire devastates Paradise near Chico – businesses, church, numerous homes burn". San Francisco Chronicle. November 8, 2018.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "PG&E power lines may have sparked deadly Camp Fire, according to radio transmissions". The Mercury News. November 9, 2018.
  16. ^ Cal Fire (November 7, 2018). "CAL FIRE on Twitter". Red Flag Warning - Twitter. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  17. ^ "PARADISE LOST: Cal Fire Says Camp Fire Has Wiped Out California Town". CBS Sacramento. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  18. ^ "'Hell on Earth': The First 12 Hours of California's Deadliest Wildfire". The New York Times. November 18, 2018. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  19. ^ "Camp Fire" (PDF). Cal Fire. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  20. ^ "California wildfire leaves town in ruins". BBC News. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  21. ^ "Butte County wildfire grows to 70,000 acres". KCRA. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  22. ^ Ravani, Sarah, "California wildfire: Destructive Camp Fire grows to 70,000 acres", San Francisco Chronicle (November 9, 2018)
  23. ^ "Camp Fire Incident Update" (PDF). Cal Fire. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  24. ^ "Death toll climbs to 29 in California's Camp Fire, state's deadliest in 85 years". NBC News. November 11, 2018.
  25. ^ a b "Incident Update, November 13, 2018 7:00 am" (PDF).
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ KCRA Staff (2018-11-14). "Death toll rises to 48 in Butte County wildfire". KCRA. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  28. ^ "Camp Fire". InciWeb Incident Information System, United States Forest Service. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  29. ^ Staff, KCRA (2018-11-14). "71 killed, more than 1,000 listed missing in Butte County wildfire". KCRA. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  30. ^ Holpuch, Amanda; Anguiano, Dani (2018-11-18). "Donald Trump visits California, again blaming fires on forest management". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  31. ^ "At Least 9 Dead In Butte County Fire; 6,500 Homes Lost, 90,000 Acres Burned". CBS San Francisco. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  32. ^ "Wildfire survivors: 'We swam to safety'". BBC News. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ Dowd, Katie; Graff, Amy (15 November 2018). "When will air quality improve in the Bay Area?". SFGate. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  37. ^ "Smoke from several wildfires affecting air quality in the Valley". KFSN-TV Fresno. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  38. ^ McBride, Ashley; Wu, Gwendolyn (15 November 2018). "Public schools across the Bay Area will be closed Friday due to smoke hazard". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  39. ^ McGough, Michael; Moleski, Vincent (15 November 2018). "See which Sacramento-area schools, colleges are closed Friday due to air quality". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  40. ^ "Camp Fire Incident Update 11/16/2018" (PDF). www.fire.ca.gov. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  41. ^ California’s most destructive wildfire should not have come as a surprise. Los Angeles Times, November 10, 2018
  42. ^ Utility emailed woman about problems 1 day before fire, by Martha Mendoza and Garance Burke, AP News, November 13, 2018
  43. ^ Chamberlain, Samuel (November 12, 2018). "Utility contacted woman about power line problems day before deadly wildfire, report says". Fox News. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  44. ^ Morris, J.D. (November 13, 2018). "PG&E sued by Camp Fire victims". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  45. ^ Deruy, Emily (November 10, 2018). "Trump blames poor forest management for California fires, threatens to revoke funding". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  46. ^ FOX. "Trump denies climate change role in Camp Fire, suggests raking leaves is bigger problem". KTVU. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  47. ^ "California Wildfires Kill At Least 9 as Trump Blames the State". Rolling Stone. November 10, 2018.
  48. ^ Tweet by Jose Del Real, November 10, 2018
  49. ^ Lisa Krieger (November 17, 2018). "Lessons from Paradise: Staying alive in California fire country". Mercury News. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  50. ^ "42 dead in Paradise fire as telcos assist in providing emergency communications". Wireless Estimator. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  51. ^ "Butte County Sheriff's Office activates missing persons call center", Twitter feed, Butte County Sheriff (November 11, 2018)
  52. ^ Seldon, Aja, "Missing persons call center activated for Camp Fire", KRON4 (November 11, 2018)

External links

External 3D models
Camp Fire Map - Esri
(revised when new data are released)
Butte : US Wildfires
Google crisis map