NOTE: This will be a “top post” for a day or two, to be sure that most regular readers see it. New posts will appear below it, scroll down.
I have received a number of inquiries from around the world related to my welfare due to the #CampFire that destroyed the town of Paradise, CA on November 8th, and threatened Chico, CA where I live, on the same day.
I can tell you, I’m a bit beaten up, but I’m OK. More on that in a moment.
This is what the sky looked like at my home and office about an hour and a half after the fire began. It was surreal, and looked like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” Photo by an employee, Rick Anderson. Those are smoke clouds, and the black dots are birds fleeing the fire. The fire was over 15 miles away at that point. Click to enlarge.
This is what it looked like from space at 10:45AM November 8th, about an hour after the photo above was taken, we were on the north edge of the plume, and it had shifted south in that time.
I know some were concerned because I haven’t been posting much in the way of updates on WUWT. The reason for that is simple, I was busy in my job as a member of the media. I spent Thursday doing special reports for local radio station KPAY about weather and wind conditions, and I spent the night on the front-line of the fire as it threatened Chico, sending in reports, photos, and forecasts based on what I observed.
The death toll continues to climb, at least 23 confirmed so far with 110, possibly more, missing. Some people were burned alive in their cars while trying to escape. I’ve seen video that doesn’t make it on the news, and I wish I could unsee it.
Since that horrible day on November 8th, I’ve continued that process of reporting on radio, and also spent a lot of time on local Facebook groups as well as my own FB page, providing information to people in a different way, un-sensationalized like TV news does. Mainly, I’ve sought to calm people with accurate information. As a result, I got the highest complement I have ever received on Facebook: (I’ve never met this lady, we are only acquainted on FB)
I’ve continued doing that sort of dual role reporting on Facebook and radio since the beginning, while also dealing with personal issues related to the fire, just like so many others have. Every police officer in the town of Paradise lost their home, many state police officers and some Sheriff officers lost their homes. Yet, they are still on the job, protecting the public. There’s no words to describe that sort of dedication.
I have never seen such strength and courage and compassion in the face of total devastation. It is surreal, much like this photo of the flag amid the wreckage taken by Action News reporter Spencer Joseph.
Many friends of mine lost their homes, including one who purchased a home in Paradise I used to live in. Many of my friends have lost people. I can’t begin to understand their level of loss and grief.
Two of my employees and their family members ran for their lives to escape the fire, and ran the gauntlet of flames, smoke, exploding transformers, and downed power lines. It is a miracle they survived. In a surreal twist, a daughter of one of them had taken video of their escape, and it was leading TV newscasts all over the world.
There are lots of cars used in the escape that looked like this after the fire:
Two for certain, and possibly three of my employees have lost their home in Paradise. A fourth employee who live in Forest Ranch, CA has been evacuated from his home, and it remains under threat.. On Friday, there was so much smoke that people were using flashlights. Streetlights and car headlights were on, and the local EPA air quality monitoring station peaked at 995 for particulates (it doesn’t go any higher) and stayed there a good portion of Friday, November 9th.
These people are part of my extended family, some have worked with me more than 20 years. It’s like a gut kick, but at the same time I’m incredibly grateful that we are all whole and unharmed. But they have nothing but the clothes on their backs, a vehicle each, and some personal belongings they packed in a “go bag”.
Now, I’m faced with the task of keeping my weather business whole while my employees deal with their losses and grief. I’ve told them that they can lean on me, that their jobs are secure, and we’ll get through it together.
But, that requires I step away from WUWT for awhile, there’s no other way.
To that end, I made contact with Charles the Moderator (Charles Rotter) who was instrumental in Climategate, and he’s agreed to take over as editor for as long as I need. I’m in his debt.
For those of you that want to help, there’s always the tip jar. But you can also help by contributing guest posts, tips (see the top menu-bar for links) and most importantly (and this costs nothing but a few seconds of time) please SHARE WUWT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. This gets us exposure, and it’s something we need. Many of you know what Google, Twitter and other media platforms have been doing, and this is a way to fight back.
[I’ll post an update for a charitable organization to help victims of the fire that I trust in the coming days, right now I have to find out details.]
[~ctm long time contributor Kip Hansen has set up a fund. This is for money that Anthony can direct to appropriate people or agencies. You can find it here.]
The fire threat is diminishing, and you can see below, the fire has stopped growing significantly:
It is time for me to take a break. I have a meeting with all my people coming up, and I need some rest so that I can be strong for them.
My thanks to all of you, as I sign off for awhile.
Over to you, Charles, with gratitude. – Anthony
Keep up the great work despite the conflagration.
A sobering experience. I note the photo of Chico (deciduous trees) and the two burn area photos (coniferous trees) that puts me in mind of a fire that destroyed over 500 homes in the town of Slave Lake, Alberta. The part of town that burned was a relatively new area carved in a pine forest. We lived in the original town site in the 1930s where there were meadows and deciduous trees, no pines. I was told that the day after the fire, if you went to our old home, you would never know that there had been a fire.
It would be useful for use to relearn the knowledge of the natives and our pioneers. Don’t build your community in or adjacent to a coniferous forest. A study of Banff National Park, Alberta found that pre-white man, the pine forests burnt, on average, every 60 years. Not very good odds for a community.
If my home was in the pines or other coniferous trees I would start a program of replacing these with fewer deciduous trees. Then there is the grass that has to be harvested or control burn’t each year.
Good luck.
Yes looking at the pics of burnt tree trunks, they reminded me of the fairly common sights of burnt eucalyptus trees around the Australian bush every summer.
So I was wondering about the composition of species in the California fires.
Lots of eucalypts?
The forests are composed of various pines, redwoods, and firs. Eucalyptus trees are not native there and grow best in places like the lower Colorado River desert, where they were grown as an experiment in producing lumber many decades ago.
What makes the fires such a problem in California is that the trees are not thinned, nor undergrowth removed to limit the fast spread and destruction. You are also limited in most places as to how far away from your home you can remove vegetation. These forests burn regularly, and if you live there, you will get hit sooner or later by a forest fire. The Western Forests of the U.S. are lovely places to live, but deadly.
Exactly Ernest – The root cause of the California conflagrations is the legal inability to clear dead wood, underbrush and other collections of extremely flammable vegetation as well as not being able to clear cut around residences. The Enviro-Wackoes have complete control in Kalifornia, which is NUTS, because they claim that “disturbing” the vegetation hurts the natural habitat of so many creatures. I guess they prefer them to “naturally” burn to death and have their habitats totally destroyed instead! Pre-White Man Native Americans knew that these forest routinely burn extensively every few decades due to dead wood and undergrowth and so DID NOT SETTLE in those places.
You taught me something today. If I ever get the chance to own a home in the forest, I will know what to look for.
The variety of tree is not the only factor. If you were to go clean up all the pine needles etc. on the forest floor, a HUUUUUGE amount of work, you could reduce the chance of a wild fire.
https://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/formain15744/$FILE/tree-species-impact-wildfire-aug03-2012.pdf
The BIG difference between coniferous trees and deciduous trees is that deciduous tree saplings can grow in the shade of other trees and coniferous tree saplings only grow in direct sunlight. For coniferous forests to replace dead trees with new trees, the dead trees must be removed. As coniferous trees become especially flammable after they die, dry needles on the forest floor also burn, and the female cones of some conifers only release their seeds after a scorching, forest fires sweeping away the dead wood is the evolutionary ‘strategy’ conifers have selected for.
Along with creating open spaces for new trees to grow, forest fires also weed out undergrowth that compete against the conifers for soil nutrients and even recycles those competitors. Forest fires may even be a method of dealing with parasites. While burning is very detrimental to individual trees, it is clearly beneficial to the success of coniferous forests, as a whole.
Where conditions allow deciduous tree saplings to get big enough to survive the next forest fire, they wipe out the conifers by not burning, shading out the coniferous saplings, and crowding out the old trees.
If you must live among the trees of a coniferous forest, you have two options:
Option 1: Whenever conditions will prevent the healthy trees from burning, set fire to every other plant in the woods near your homestead (but not all at once).
Option 2: Build your home to tolerate wildfire. Sheath it in fired porous clay and have a setup that can keep the cladding supplied with water so evaporative cooling can prevent temperatures on the inside from reaching its kindling point.
Of the two, option 2 really is the best choice, as it allows the forest to burn naturally. Coniferous forests are supposed to burn. If structures are built to survive the fires, the forest can just burn as dictated by circumstances, and life can return to normal, once the smoke clears and the evacuees return. If you cannot stand the heat, stay away from coniferous forests.
The heavy bark of pines down our way (Southeast US) are for their protection in their frequent fires. Foresters down here have learned that if the fires are not frequent enough to take out the undergrowth the fires get hot enough to burn through the bark, kill the trees, and burn houses even through fire breaks.
We had a controlled burn yesterday in my neighborhood.
There’s a guy named blancolirio who has videos about the Oroville Dam who
lives in that area and has a good video about the fire.
‘Camp’ fire UPDATE Day 3 10 Nov-The likely cause
should take you there.
In the White Mountains of New Mexico, the Indians cleaned their part of the forest many years ago and it looks like a park. The evil Forest Service stopped the county from cleaning that part of the forest and when it burns it will take Cloudcroft because the forest comes up to the back yards of homes.
You are #1 Anthony…
It’s been an incredible few days. The first I heard about the Camp Fire was here, the morning it started, and I was astounded at how large it was in your first reports. Thank goodness it started at dawn, had it started at midnight there could be 1,000 people missing from sleeping through what good escape time the area had.
Keep up the good work. Rejoice in every person safe. All things in their time. Watch out for signs of PTSD. Things will get better. God be with you all.
Best wishes Anthony. Take care of you and yours first.
As with Milton, after Paradise lost shall come Paradise regained. Godspeed.
My goodness Anthony. I was in Sacramento Friday through this AM and was huffing the smoke. I can only imagine the devastation in Paradise. Stay strong. Best wishes.
Anthony,
Your priorities are your family, your employees, your friends and your community.
I can only admire the selfless way in which you serve.
We will still be here when you get back, you must first now help those you love.
Rest up. Keep on being strong.
God Speed. We are looking to donate… ideas of what would be helpful…
Good luck and stay safe, and thanks to everyone at the edge of that fire, and condolences to everyone who had to flee from it.
I’m some distance away but the smoke was like pea soup fog yesterday and I’m still pretty sick. Even with a filter mask it was like having a flu and even today I’m comparatively weak (I have a condition that this affects badly).
Obviously nothing compared to your whole city burning down.
P.S. The flag photo is amazing. Going to remember that for a long time.
Good Lord, Anthony, I’ve had disagreements with you in the past but I have nothing but best wishes for you and your employees and your neighbors, and all the people affected by this terrible tragedy. I’ll hit that tip jar and I’ll put a FB share in for WUWT.
Don132
Well said, Don. So noted.
Good luck to everyone. Keep safe and don’t worry about wuwt. You and your community are much more important
Tonyb
All the best to the victims but why oh why do people leave it until it is too late to evacuate.
The same mentality existed in Victoria during the 1983 Ash Wednesday and 2012 Black Friday fires when whole towns were obliterated.
Moderator (Charles) – when the vetted charity or charities are available, please make sure they are pinned to the top. (You probably would anyway, I just want to make sure.)
With the right (wrong) conditions, these fires can move faster – much faster – than you can get out of the way, even if you just grab your go bag and run.
Forecasting just which way they will go is also difficult, although people (like Anthony) do the very best they can. I’ve seen one (from a distance, which I was grateful for) go roaring in one direction, and then make a 180 degree turn and roar off in the other. All depends on the wind, both what is blowing normally and the wind that the fire makes for itself.
If the information makes it my way. Follow James Woods @RealJamesWoodson Twitter. He is doing a good job coordinating help, helping to let people know people have been found, and steering assistance.
Here is Walter Mossberg’s list of charities for the California fires: https://twitter.com/waltmossberg/status/1061500289658826752?s=19
The fire started at 6:15AM when most people were asleep. By 7AM the town was on fire. There was no warning and some probably didn’t know about the fire until it was too late.
Some of the autos pictured to me indicate the probability of Directed Weapons.
[That has to be the stupidest comment I have ever seen in my over 10+ years of running this website. Go away. – Anthony]
Anthony, lots of conspiracy videos on YouTube after fire events like this claiming directed weapons attacks. These people are as crazy as flat-earthers.
Hope you are all ok. Certainly looks scary situation to be in.
The people spouting this stuff didn’t look out over their backyard and into flames. Nor did they dodge fire all the way to Chico.
They are NOT crazy – they are simply poisoning the well.
“See – look at some of the wacky ideas the audience around here believes.”
That’s the point of the posts. Those responsible should be punished severely, preferably with some kind if “directed weapon” – a phrase that can mean anything you like.
They always come out of the woodwork at the worst possible times. Having seen wildfires for over 3 decades, many in 50mph winds, I can tell you the devastation is incredible, the speed amazing and one cannot imagine what the scene looks like. There’s no conspiracy ideas needed. I’ve only had to evacuate once, but keep “go” boxes in the closet ready to run at a moment’s notice.
Take a long rest, Anthony. You deserve it.
This is the same guy who thinks a fatal Ebola virus infection can be cured with a Vitamin C IV.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/11/09/terrifying-new-african-ebola-outbreak-yet-politicians-still-witter-on-about-climate-threats/#comment-2513350
Stupid just can’t be fixed.
How ridiculous…sorry you have to deal with this right now.
I saw “Terry Harnden” commenting elsewhere that anthropogenic climate change was a hoax, and any temperature increases we are experiencing are due to natural variation. He further said something about sun spots, and that climate scientists are falsifying data for research funding. There is no limit to the crazy!
God bless.
Let me guess, a sock puppet.
One who engages in asserting that someone made a statement that they didn’t is said to be “attacking a straw man.”
Build a city in one of the three worst places on the planet for bushfires and wait for a dry spell and gale force winds.
What else could it be but Directed Weapons?
Probably find Donald Trump was behind the plot.
No, no. Bushfires are obviously the fault of George W. Bush.
What seems more likely…
Build a timber town that thrives for decades harvesting the rich forests around it, then restrict logging to build up the fuel load, wait for a drought to kill millions of trees and gale force winds to down a few power lines.
Who needs Directed Energy Weapons when abysmal forest management will do?
Should someone ask Jerry Brown how much CO2 has been generated by Califorlornia wildfire mismanagement? Is it causing Globull Warning?
maybe he just watches “The Storm Channel” too much?
“Arctic air invades….”, “Severe storms target….”, Furious flurries focus on …..
(OK. I made that last lead-in up.8-)
That comment is likely made by a paid flame thrower designed to rile citizens and create massive disharmony. The person behind it may or more likely may not be a believer in their comment. But is instead a believer of causing foment within our borders. The style and breavity looks too much like something found on a talking point list flame throwers use. Which leads me to believe that any replies are not read by the flame thrower as they are too busy throwing flames into multiple social sites.
Sweet Jesus, brother! Take a break for however long you need!!!!! I love your site for balanced opinions on every subject and even more for the HUMAN element that is lacking from most “news” sites.
I’ve been following your site since 2008 and have always admired the sensibility that is maintained here regardless of the horse excrement spouted everywhere else!
Be safe my internet friend and report back when safe for everybody!
Glad you and the extended family are all safe Ant. We have terrible fires like that in Australia too so understand the extent of the trauma inflicted.
Best wishes to all in ‘your circle’ and a big thanks to Charles for taking up the reins.
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/11/10/suspected-camp-fire-looters-arrested/
KOS works. If you tolerate it, you get more of it. That’s why we still have socialists stealing elections.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Thank God you’re safe.
And thanks for providing an inspiring example of being a pillar of strength to others around while under such pressure and threat yourself, just like the police officers you mentioned. This will be remembered for a very long time. May your community find peace and healing.
A pillar of strength indeed. Anthony is a fine man. Distressing to hear of this tragedy.
Will People Ever Learn To Build Their Houses Out Of Non-Combustible Materials???
Virtually nothing survives in the radiant heat of a firestorm if it’s near enough as in what we saw in Marysville, Vic. Added to radiant heat are the flying embers.
And yet… that flag survival is a miracle, like the Lolly Shop sign on its picket fence in Marysville.
So glad you are safe Anthony…you’ll be completely exhausted when you can finally relax…look after yourself…love and prayers from us.
Agree 100%.
It is usually wildfire embers that turn a combustible house into an inferno.
They say steel collapses, but not if the house does not burn IMO.
At Marysville they found bodies of two people that were killed by radiant heat 300 metres from the fire.
In the Ash Wednesday fire it was estimated the temperature reached 2000C, nothing survives a fire storm.
About ten years ago I saw a photo of the only house on a hillside road in SoCal that survived one of their bad brushfires. It was built of stucco or rammed earth and had a metal roof. Maybe it had metal shutters too, which would have helped.
My son built a rammed earth house with a metal roof, shutters on the windows etc and, after a Bushfire went through, the house was still standing and first responders thought it was ok – but everything inside (except metal) was reduced to ash. It looked like the inside of a pottery kiln. God knows what happened but he and his family weren’t inside it thank goodness. I really don’t think anything survives if the fire gets it.
With all good wishes to Anthony and the team, it’ll be a torrid few months getting back on top of all this carnage but that’s what you have to focus on.
Mick,
Annie points us to “radiant heat” and this is something worth reading about. When the embers begin to cool, fire researchers will move through, taking notes and photos. Next year reports will be available from which we can learn much. By then most media types will have moved on, so one has to look for these things.
Our house was built 40 years ago. It is too late to build it out of concrete. We have been asked to evacuate twice. Closest fire was 2.6 miles. Each time the wind was changing just about the time the police got to our place. We had a pickup & small camper parked in the driveway but our local contacts kept us informed, and we did not go. We watched Ponderosa Pines “candle”, watched embers sail onto the next ridge, and a DC-10 make repeated trips, turning over our property to drop Phos-Chek on the ridge.
Many non-combustible materials can, on the outside, make a place safer. Windows and radiant energy can cause the house to get an instant burn going inside.
For more, look up ‘Firewise’ and ‘fire adapted community’ for how folks are going about making things safer.
Even concrete isn’t the answer in a firestorm. We have friends whose concrete block house in Marysville was lost; luckily they weren’t in it. Most houses exploded as the fire swept through; one we used to own was totally gone but the two gas bottles outside were intact…some very bizarre things happen. A month after the fires plants were pushing through again. Mother Nature is very robust and Marysville is looking wonderful now.
I feel very much for the people in this firestorm…keep strong…recovery will come but it takes time.
IIRC…their concrete house blocks just pulverised. The wooden churches both went but The Crossways Inn (wooden) survived. The rectory (brick veneer) by the Anglican church survived but a mudbrick house in Falls Road didn’t. Sometimes there seems no rhyme or reason to it. Most properties were utterly destroyed.
Metal window shutters will help as will clear gutters and sprinkler systems on the roof, this supposes you have a source of power for pumps, water available and hoses not burnt or melted. As commented elsewhere, in a bad firestorm there isn’t much chance of saving homes.
From a news story in the LA area fire, they described fronds from palm trees catching fire and blowing away, but falling house roofs. Some burn long enough to ignite the wood under tile roofs!
I get more and more convinced that people really need to control multiple aspects of fires in areas at risk of Santa Ana style hot, dry winds.
Thanks for the update Anthony.
We’re choking on the smoke nearly 200 miles away in the Bay Area. I can’t begin to imagine the devastation in Paradise and the surrounding area.
Keep up the good work, especially the outstanding reporting you are providing to help your neighbors in and around Chico.
But, above all, stay safe!
As always, you are doing top notch work. Take care of yourself and we will see you when you are available.
I have seen some disasters in my day (I used to live in Oklahoma and have family in Oklahoma City area like Moore and Del City) and I can tell you the resilience in many neighborhoods is just staggering. They come together first to save, then to help, and finally to rebuild a community. Its the same in Texas where I have been able to observe.
I hope they get this fire out and people can start healing soon. It seems overwhelming at first, but if you have help, it soon turns a corner.
I have been lucky of late, so I can afford a donation. I’ll send half to the WUWT site and half to your community once I see a link for it.
I know it’s not the most important issue just now, but I can’t find anything on how this fire got started. Anyone know?
Let me guess: decades of poor or actively harmful forest management because The Environment?
Glad to hear Anthony is OK. Let’s hope the fire is out soon.
You’d think that prisoners wearing unremovable GPS ankle bracelets could be put to work clearing brush.
Glad to hear your story, Anthony and that you are all right!
But sincerely, I am wondering what kind of fire planning and management you have developed in California? Obviously, there is too much combustible material lying around and too many tall trees next to populated areas, for any comfort.
When I last visited those areas, I noticed the amount of the very dangerous tree: Gum Tree or Eucalyptus, that was growing there. To my knowledge, this is a very dangerous tree, that produces abundant oils and vapors, in dry weather….?
If this is the case, then – why haven’t they been cut down. Obviously it is well known that there will be dry winds half the year in the area.
I don’t live in CA but, from what I understand, there have been numerous small things done that have contributed to the fires being as bad as they actually are.
For example, years ago I remember reading about restrictions imposed brush from around home because the dead brush was the habitat of the endangered Kangaroo Rat….even if a Kangaroo Rat hadn’t been spotted in the area in over a decade.
Another example. The (only the Northern?) Spotted Owl. Allowing loggers to clear dead trees from forest was declared illegal because old growth forest were their nesting habitat. Despite the fact that one pair nested in a broken K-Mart sign. (not sure if it was a “Southern” or “Northern” spotted owl)
Just a couple of examples I know of.
OH! And if I’m not mistaken, in some parts of CA you can be taxed or fined if you collect rainwater in a rain barrel?
LOTS of goofy regulations in CA that people feel good about until…………reality strikes.
Commenting from privately-owned acreage surrounded by National Forest in Southern California. Because of endangered species (southern spotted owls, yellow-legged frogs, and arroyo toads), power companies, and forestry agencies are not allowed to clear brush and deadwood around us.
A couple of years back, a county funded program allowed clearing on ours and neighbors property at the top of a steep hill for a fire break. In the middle of the about 30 foot wide break, they left a 4 foot high woodrat’s nest and the brush surrounding it untouched which would allow a wildfire to jump the break, making it useless.
We are being put at life risk because of animals which we have never, ever encountered in 21 years of residence. Apparently the slim chance of them existing makes them more important than our lives and property.
And the rest of the country wonders why California is burning?
Lot of the usual rumors, but no knowledge (discounting the tinfoil hat wearers). That nearly always comes much later.
Perhaps too busy with fires and fire related issues to investigate? And there still may be hot spots in burned over areas?
My condolences to all who have been caught-up in this tragic event.
I heard that sparking power lines (PG&E again) are at least suspected.
Downed power lines
There are credible reports that:
1. PG&E detected a line break shortly before the start of the main fire.
2. A small fire was reported at about the same time, right under some downed power lines.
Seems to me, PG&E needs to clear the area under their power lines of all fuel to prevent further tragedies of this type.
Hard to determine cause or effect in that case. Power line started a fire or a fire downed a power line?
Either way, it’s not the priority right now.
It was wind that downed the power line supposedly.
reports ive read said the powerco reported an outage in the area it started
another mentioned “line slap”?
i guess thats strong winds or falling branches making lines touch or arc?
I do hope it was pure accident and not arson
May people find their lost ones alive , be able to recover and resume.
bless you Anthony for a calm voice and support in the madness of the media
fare thee ALL well
Anthony, you’re the best! May God bless you, your employees and all those who have lost family members, friends and homes in this tragic fire. Thanks to Charles for being willing to step into your shoes while you take care of your business and your employees.