this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2024

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131

‘What are the odds?’ California family lost one home to wildfire in 2018 — and a second in 2024 (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by bibliotectress@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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It was frightening, and all too familiar. The family had previously been forced to flee as a wildfire bore down on another mountain town they called home: Paradise.

Now, with their path blocked and a horizon swallowed by flames, Kristy had an eerie feeling they were going to lose all they’d fought to build.

“I kind of knew then, like, we’re never coming home again — again, again,” she said.

The Camp fire, the deadliest in California history, devastated Paradise in 2018, consuming thousands of homes, including the Daneaus’.

They relocated to the town of Cohasset, putting them in the direct path of another wildfire, one that has since become the state’s fifth largest on record. Within just six years, the family again found themselves in jeopardy.

The trio eventually made it to safety, trekking seven hours down an unpaved loggers’ road to Chico. But their home in Cohasset was no match for an inferno’s fury.

“We’re starting completely over, again,” said Michael Daneau, 41. Every property they’ve ever owned has “burned to the ground with no value and nothing to our name.”

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[–] macarthur_park@lemmy.world 82 points 3 months ago (2 children)

”What are the odds?”

Fairly high, apparently:

Overall, Cohasset has a extreme risk of wildfire over the next 30 years.

It sucks but people have to start taking wildfire risk into account when choosing where to live. It’s the same as considering flood risk, earthquake risk, mudslide risk, etc.

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 34 points 3 months ago

”What are the odds?”

Fairly high, apparently:

And getting higher thanks to climate change.

[–] Num10ck@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

or how to build. let's 3D print some concrete beauties and cover them with a foot of dirt.

[–] quicklime@lemm.ee 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Concrete production is one of the big culprits in climate change. But maybe this could be done with rammed earth, sustainably harvested timber, and dry-stone masonry.

[–] Num10ck@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

great point. too bad earthships aren't up to building code in california.

[–] BertramDitore@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Damn, they’re not? These seem like such a good solution to so many housing and environmental problems. I’ve wanted to build one for a while, but I’d want it to be in CA…shame.

[–] Num10ck@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

yea i think theres a few in palm springs anyway. you would need some exit windows for each bedroom, etc. don't expect any help from the fire department, as burning tires are toxic etc.

[–] BertramDitore@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Ah yeah, I didn’t think about the burning tires thing…good point.

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Carbon neutral concrete exists, but my guess is that it's way more expensive.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 29 points 3 months ago

Unspoken : they rebuilt in the same sort of area. Of course this was going to happen.

[–] venusaur@lemmy.world 25 points 3 months ago

Cohasset and Paradise are about 10 miles away from each other.

[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It is almost like we should be doing something about climate change..

[–] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

More like, don’t build in fire prone areas and, if you do, proper fire mitigation is key (like a tree less barrier around your home). Forest fires are a natural occurrence which enriches soil and part of how pines seed themselves.

[–] hydrashok@sh.itjust.works 16 points 3 months ago (9 children)

Perhaps the next house they won’t build in a fire-prone area. But I doubt it.

[–] Aphelion@lemm.ee 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

That's a lot easier said than done. There's a reason property in that area is relatively more affordable than in other parts of the state.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They are going for a lifestyle. This isn’t about affordability.

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

It's probably both.

[–] HonkTonkWoman@lemm.ee 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

That’s some great arm-chair criticism right there.

“You just suffered the second tragedy of your life? Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure the next one will be your fault too.”

Show a little empathy.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You can be empathetic for their plight while recognizing that their decisions lead to a repeat of a disaster.

[–] HonkTonkWoman@lemm.ee 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yes, but you cannot pretend that is an easy decision, or even a feasible one for most folks.

Why would they move from Paradise to another town so close by? Is it because they’re idiots?

Doubt it. I’ll bet their livelihood is tied to that area, quite possibly generationally. How feasible do you think it is for members of the Paradise farming community to uproot and move to a new location?

Their entire lives are rooted in that community. Leaving it could be as disastrous as the fire. They’re recovery is likely tacked into that very community, all trying rebuild as best as possible.

That is quite likely a reality here & everyone in this thread wants to treat these poor folks like idiots.

But sure… blame their “decisions”. Blame the entire town for not getting out of the way of climate change.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (11 children)

I really hear you making a lot of excuses. People move across the world by the millions each day at much greater hardship. These people can find a home in some place safer without completely upending their lives--even the next town over might have been a better decision here.

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[–] hydrashok@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 months ago (13 children)

It’s not like fires in California are a new phenomenon. The first one wasn’t their fault, sure. The second has shown them the risk and frequency of fires in the area they live. If they rebuild there again then yes, the consequences of any more fire damage or loss of property are completely their fault.

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[–] raynethackery@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

Apparently, 30%.

[–] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 months ago

It's almost like catastrophic fire, flood, and earthquake risk is autocorrelated.

[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 months ago

Pretty fucking good? Becoming better (read: worse) too!

[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Pretty likely considering the electric company refuses to properly insulate their wires and they’re constantly causing wildfires

[–] bibliotectress@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

That's what happened to us with the Camp Fire, but a guy started the Park Fire (currently at 401,199 acres and 27% contained).

https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/30/fire-started-by-man-pushing-flaming-car-is-californias-5th-largest-ever/

[–] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

About 100% for that family.

[–] sunzu@kbin.run 2 points 3 months ago

Maybe people should not be living in fire hazard zones and hurricane paths?

[–] yournamehere@lemm.ee 0 points 3 months ago

i read animals need three takes to understand. there was an experiment with a mole and some tunnels and electric charges in the 80s i think and they found out 3 is the magic number in learning curves for dumb animals.

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