Photograph by Samuel Heller
22 fires in the Northern California area have destroyed over 5,700 structures, displaced more than forty thousand residents, and killed 41 people. The sources of the fires have yet to be definitively determined, but according to statements by Cal Fire, they could have been started by fallen power lines in dry brush and spread quickly by high winds. The fires started on the night of October 8.
“What I’ve seen and what I’ve heard from other firefighters is complete destruction, houses leveled to the foundation,” said Kara Bradfield, a firefighter from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “This isn’t like anything we’ve ever experienced, this is a once in a lifetime fire. I have thirty- year veterans who have never seen anything like this.”
In Santa Rosa, the Tubbs fire destroyed 2,384 homes. Entire neighborhoods have burned, and residents had little time to grab their belongings and pets before evacuating.
One sight the Tubbs fire is responsible for the destruction of is Camp Newman, a Jewish sleep away camp near Santa Rosa.
“It’s pretty devastating how the fire has burned down the camp. [Camp Newman] was a magical place where many people felt that they formed stronger bonds in a few weeks than over the course of a full school year. So many campers described it as their second home, and I think that for a lot of them,” said Noah Ball-Burack, a junior at Berkeley High School (BHS).
He continued, “Camp was a coping mechanism for getting through the school year, because it was always something to look forward to. The most important part of camp is the community, and I have no doubt that the community will stick together and be strong. However, so many memories and emotions are tied to the physical space.”
Although all of the fires have taken place at least an hour away from Berkeley, the smoke has traveled from its original location into the surrounding cities, including Berkeley.
The large quantity of particulates in the atmosphere led to abnormally low air-quality and presenting health risks for those with lung diseases.
Air quality is measured on a scale from 0-500, with 500 being the worst. Smoke worsens air quality because of microscopic particles that can lodge deep into the lungs. In Berkeley, the air quality was highest at 167, a rating considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This means that any person may experience negative health effects, but those with health issues, children, and the elderly are more susceptible to them.
“I have asthma, so I can’t really breathe most of the time,” said Lucas Bedolla Garcia, a BHS student. “[I have to] stay inside and wear masks to keep most of the air out.”
Official warnings advised people to stay inside, preferably in buildings with filtered air. Schools were also recommended to close windows and limit students’ activity outside.
Despite many people in the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) community calling for school to be canceled on October twelve and thirteen due to low air quality, BUSD Superintendent Donald Evans kept schools open.
In his email to BUSD families, Evans stated that the district wished to keep students caught up with school-work and noted the difficulties of getting child care on such short notice.
Schools north of Berkeley that were more heavily affected by the smoke and experienced lower air quality closed, yet school districts to the south of Berkeley remained open.
As of October 19, The Tubbs fire is 85% contained as fire departments from across the state continue in their efforts to contain the fires.
There are around 200 reported missing people. Colder weather and low winds over the weekend of October 13 helped firefighters begin to contain the fires.
Some evacuation notices are lifting, and residents are returning to their homes or working to rebuild housing which was destroyed.