At Least 23 Dead in California’s Most Destructive Wildfire in History
In what is now considered California’s most destructive wildfire in modern history, at least 23 people are dead as fires continue to spread at both ends of the state, report CNN and The New York Times. Currently, the state is battling three major fires: one in northern Sierra, called the Camp Fire, and two west of Los Angeles, the Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire. (Affected areas include the iconic coastline of Malibu; the town of Paradise, which was totally destroyed; and Thousand Oaks, which experienced a mass shooting earlier this week that left 12 dead.) It is estimated that a quarter of a million people overall have had to evacuate.
In the northern blaze—by far the biggest, which ignited on Thursday morning—at least 23 people are confirmed dead, some having been trapped in their cars, others near or inside their homes. The Camp Fire has since swelled to over 100,000 acres by this morning, causing tens of thousands of residents flee their homes, and roughly 6,700 structures to be destroyed. Meanwhile, the Woolsey Fire doubled overnight, having grown to 70,000 acres, while the Hill Fire was contained to 4,500 acres. Among other celebrities evacuating the Woolsey Fire, Caitlyn Jenner has reportedly lost her Malibu home in the blaze.
Earlier this morning, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to acknowledge California’s state of emergency, where he proceeded to place blame on poor forest management rather than, say, global warming. “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor,” he wrote. “Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!” (A report from the United Nations earlier this year claimed a global environmental crisis could occur as early as 2040, leading to food shortages and increasing wildfires. Trump expressed suspicion of said report—he has consistently disregarded global warming issues while in the Oval Office—but has promised to “look at it.”)
Though firefighters continue to fight for control over the wildfires, CNN reports that intense winds and low humidity could only further fuel the flames, and the fires are likely to worsen over the weekend. To help victims of the fire, the Ventura County Community Foundation has established the Hill Fire/Woolsey Fire Sudden and Urgent Needs Effort Fund to support the nonprofit organizations that are currently serving survivors. A more detailed list of other organizations can also be found here.
