Raging California Wildfires
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Extreme weather related events are becoming more common in America and elsewhere, including severe hurricanes, droughts, and blazes like what’s ravaging California.
They’re likely related to global warming, a reality Trump and regime hardliners ignore. According to bioclimatologist Park Williams:
“In pretty much every single way, a perfect recipe for fire is just kind of written in California. Nature creates the perfect conditions for fire, as long as people are there to start the fires,” adding:
“But then climate change, in a few different ways, seems to also load the dice toward more fire(s) (and other extreme weather related events) in the future.”
The Trump regime’s reckless environmental agenda is part of the problem, making a bad situation worse by its indifference to responsible policymaking – putting profits and self-interest above ecosanity.
Raging wildfires are the worst in California’s history – three separate ones in the state in northern and southern areas, greatly exacerbated by seasonally high Santa Ana winds.
So far, over 250,000 residents had to evacuate areas where staying could risk death – at least 25 reported dead so far, perhaps many more before blazes are contained.
Paradise, California, a community of around 26,000, covering about 1,400 square miles, was virtually destroyed.
Resident Rex Stewart lamented that “Paradise is gone. There’s nothing to go back to.”
According to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Captain Scott McLean, “(p)retty much the community of Paradise is destroyed. It’s that kind of devastation. The wind that was predicted came and just wiped it out.”
Fires continue raging in northern and southern parts of the state. The 1933 Griffith Park fire killed 29 people, the toll from current blazes likely to way exceed the earlier record number. Over 100 people are reported missing.
The Butte County northern California Camp Fire (named after Camp Creek Road) so far consumed around 105,000 acres, destroying over 6,700 structures since November 8 – including homes, schools, a nursing home and area hospital.
The blaze forced evacuation of Paradise and Magalia residents. It threatens Stirling City and Inskip. It began on the same day as the Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire.
The Woolsey blaze so far scorched around 70,000 acres, burning homes in Malibu, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks, threatening parts of Simi Valley and West Hills – forcing evacuation of thousands of area residents.
Malibu city authorities issued a statement, saying “(f)ire is burning out of control, heading into populated areas of (the upscale community). All residents evacuate now.”
The Hill blaze destroyed about 4,500 acres in canyons near Camarillo Springs and Cal State Channel Islands.
On November 9, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for most of northern California’s interior areas, along with southern parts of the state.
Trump falsely blamed poor forest management for the blazes. California Professional Firefighters president Brian Rice slammed him, calling his accusation “dangerously wrong,” explaining that around 60% of state forrest areas are federally managed.
Acting California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
State officials said high winds and dry conditions are responsible for why ongoing blazes spread quickly.
On Friday, a White House statement said Trump declared a state of emergency in California, “order(ing) federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from wildfires beginning on November 8, 2018, and continuing.”
On Saturday, Trump threatened to cut off federal help, falsely claiming state “mismanagement…Remedy now or no more Fed payments,” he roared.
Critics called him heartless. In all respects, he’s mindless about the destructiveness of his domestic and geopolitical policies – greatly harming countless millions of people he clearly doesn’t give a hoot about.
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
