California burning

[Rewind]

Containment of the Woolsey fire is now at 69%. The Camp fire in Butte County has burned 142,000 acres and is 45% contained. The official death toll remains at 63. More than 450 people are searching the rubble and ashes for additional victims. In some cases, all they are finding is bones and bone fragments. Rain is predicted for next Tuesday and will make the search even more difficult. Yesterday and today, nearly 700 flights out of San Francisco International Airport have been delayed because of "low visibility conditions" due to the smoke.

[Rewind]

Ninety percent of the homes in Paradise have been destroyed but many evacuated residents are planning to rebuild and return. The Camp fire has burned 221 square miles so there will likely not be another fire in the area for many many years.

Camp fire: Number of missing soars to 1,011 as Paradise reels from unfathomable losses
Los Angeles Times, Nov 16 2018 6:40 PM

An army of searchers moved through the rubble of Paradise in a desperate search today to find more victims of California’s worst fire on record as the number of people missing skyrocketed. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said search crews have recovered eight more bodies in the burn area, bringing the death toll from the devastating Camp fire to 71. The number of people unaccounted for rose to 1,011, up from 631 on Thursday evening, after authorities combed through additional 911 calls, emails and other reports generated at the peak of the chaotic evacuation. Honea said that number may include some people who are counted twice or others who may not know they were reported missing.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...115-story.html

[Rewind]

Several fires in the past decade were caused by arson, lightning or sparks from a vehicle but many have been linked to downed power lines. If these most recent fires are found to have been caused by Edison and PG&E equipment failure, power outages or downed power lines, both utility companies could face billions of dollars in fines and be forced into bankruptcy. They're cooperating with investigators -- but I don't recommend buying stock in Edison and PG&E for a while.

California fires bring upheaval to utilities as they face massive liabilities

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...117-story.html

[Rewind]

The fires in the Malibu-Thousand Oaks area have burned 98,362 acres and destroyed 836 homes. Containment is now at 82%.

In Paradise, the Copsey family was forced to evacuate as flames approached. Ella, their border collie, was left behind. Only one house on the block survived -- and, miraculously, Ella survived. Here is the amazing story of that loyal faithful dog:

Dog found 'protecting the only house left on the block' after Camp fire in Paradise

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ck/2038349002/

[Rewind]

Here are the latest numbers on the Camp fire that destroyed 90% of the town of Paradise: The blaze has burned more than 149,000 acres (233 square miles) and destroyed 12,794 homes and other structures. The official death toll is now 76 and the number of people unaccounted for has increased to 1,276. The fire is now 55% contained but wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour are expected late tonight and early tomorrow.

[Rewind]

In movies, Gerard Butler has portrayed Dracula, Attila the Hun and the Phantom of the Opera -- but look what a nice guy he is in real life:

Gerard Butler hosts star-studded fundraiser for California fire relief after losing his home

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainm...Og1k?ocid=AMZN

[Rewind]

Because of this month's devastating wildfires, thousands of people will be having an unimaginably grim Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Hanukkah). They've lost almost everything but their lives.

The Camp fire has now burned 150,000 acres (234 square miles) and is 65% contained. There are 77 confirmed fatalities and 10,364 homes and buildings have been destroyed. The Woolsey fire has burned 96,949 acres and is 91% contained. There have been three fatalities and 1,130 homes and buildings have been destroyed.

Where is our rain?

[Atypical]

There are additional details regarding the fires that don't get mentioned in the coverage.

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/th...ifornia-fires/

[Rewind]

Thank you, Atypical, for sharing that commentary. The Union of Concerned Scientists blames "the effects of global warming on temperature, precipitation levels and soil moisture" for "turning many of our forests into kindling during wildfire season." Governor Jerry Brown agrees with their assessment but few other politicians are talking about it. Last Saturday when Trump visited what remains of the town of Paradise, a reporter asked if Trump thought climate change is contributing to the worsening fires. Trump gave the evasive answer that "a lot of factors" are involved. He did not, and will not, reverse his opinion that climate change is a hoax. He suggested we need better "forest management" and we need to start "raking and cleaning" our forests "like Finland does." Of course Finland does no such thing, nor does Finland have forests or weather conditions comparable to those in California. Meanwhile.......

Smoke from the California wildfires is visible across the country in New York City

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/20/us/ca...rnd/index.html

[Rewind]

The number of confirmed deaths in the Camp fire is now 81 and 870 people remain missing. Rain is expected tomorrow afternoon and could wash away a lot of the human remains. And we can put this story in the "Why didn't they listen?" file:

Paradise narrowed its main road by two lanes despite warnings of gridlock during a major wildfire

https://www.latimes.com/local/la-lb-...htmlstory.htmly