Volunteers Comb Through Camp Fire Rubble As Number Of Missing People Climbs To Around 1,000
Over the weekend, the death toll rose to at least 77. Hundreds of search-and-recovery personnel are involved in the effort, going to homes when they receive tips that someone might have died there. In other news from the fires: Malibu's "Rehab Riviera" scrambles to evacuate addiction treatment patients; air quality in California remains dangerous and scientists warn that such toxic smog will only become more common; fire survivors return to their homes; and more.
The Associated Press:
Rain Could Hinder Search For Victims Of California Wildfire
The search for remains of victims of the devastating Northern California wildfire has taken on new urgency as rain in the forecast could complicate those efforts while also bringing relief to firefighters on the front lines. Up to 400 people fanned out Sunday to search the ash and rubble where homes once stood before flames roared through the Sierra foothills town of Paradise and surrounding communities, killing at least 77 people in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. (Thanawala, 11/19)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Coroner Handling All Bodies Recovered
As victims from the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County are recovered by search teams, the remains are loaded into body bags, then taken by hearse to refrigerated trucks. Then, they are driven 90 miles south to Sacramento, where Coroner Kim Gin’s staff is facing the biggest challenge she has seen in her time in the office. “This is not normal,” Gin said Thursday as her staff worked alongside coroner’s officials who have streamed in from other offices around the state. “I’ve been here 19 years, and we haven’t had anything even close to this. (Stanton and Yoon-Hendricks, 11/15)
The New York Times:
California Fire Hits ‘Rehab Riviera,’ Putting Addiction Care In Jeopardy
At Creative Care’s serene hilltop campus in Malibu, Calif., patients typically pay more than $35,000 a month to be treated for addiction and mental health problems against the backdrop of a spectacular Pacific Ocean view. On Friday, just a few hours after an early-morning evacuation order from the city, all anyone could see were flames. ... Malibu has one of the largest concentrations of addiction treatment centers and sober living homes in the United States, with at least one per square mile, according to data from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Luxury properties in the area, part of a coastal strip known as Rehab Riviera, often attract paparazzi hoping for a glimpse of wealthy clients like Ben Affleck and Britney Spears. (Hsu, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
California Fires: Crews Boost Containment In Deadly Wildfires
By Sunday morning, the blaze was 60% contained. But forecasters expect gusty winds will bring in critical fire weather conditions across portions of the western slopes of the northern Sierra. Officials said smoke from the blaze would continue to bring poor air quality across the region through Tuesday. In Southern California, the Woolsey fire has charred 96,949 acres and destroyed about 1,452 structures. By Sunday night, it was 91% contained and Cal Fire said it expects full containment by Thursday. (Tchekmedyian, Alpert Reyes and Reyes-Velarde, 11/18)
San Jose Mercury News:
Camp Fire: More Smoke Blowing Into Bay Area Before Rains
While there’s a strong chance shifting winds and rain will help clear out smoke in the Bay Area just in time for Thanksgiving Day, air quality here could get worse before it gets better. Residents of the area should continue to monitor air quality and take steps to protect their health, especially by staying indoors, officials say. “We’re expecting winds to bring more smoke into the Bay Area on top of what’s already here,” Kristine Roselius, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality District, said Sunday. “Basically right now we’re seeing unhealthy air quality throughout most of the Bay Area.” (Geha, 11/18)
The New York Times:
Air Quality In California: Devastating Fires Lead To A New Danger
The wildfires that have laid waste to vast parts of California are presenting residents with a new danger: air so thick with smoke it ranks among the dirtiest in the world. On Friday, residents of smog-choked Northern California woke to learn that their pollution levels now exceed those in cities in China and India that regularly rank among the worst. (Turkewitz and Richtel, 11/16)
Bloomberg:
California Air Quality: Hazardous Air In North After Wildfires
The sky goes dark in the middle of the day in Sacramento, California. Thick smoke smothers downtown, and the dome of the statehouse is barely visible. Schools are closed. Some colleges and hospitals have told all but essential employees to stay home. Many of the people who still brave the streets are wearing bandannas, masks and even respirators. Decades after leading the U.S. war against smog and after years of federal and state clean-air legislation, California is once again being crippled by poor air quality -- this time from the deadly wildfires scorching the state. (Eckhouse, Marois and Sullivan, 11/16)
The New York Times:
California’s Fires Wrecked Its Air Quality: Here’s How To Protect Yourself
The devastating wildfires that have ravaged parts of California brought with them plumes of smoke, shrouding some communities in a soupy black fog. Air pollution like that is full of tiny particles that can cause health problems, ranging from temporary discomfort to long-term heart and lung diseases. (Fortin, 11/17)
The Associated Press:
In Smoldering Wildfire Ruins, Life Goes On For A Hardy Few
Brad Weldon lost his home to fire when he was a kid, so when a deadly wildland blaze came roaring toward his ranch house in the pines where he lives with his 89-year-old blind mother, he wasn’t going to let disaster strike twice. Weldon and his mother’s caregiver, armed only with a garden hose and buckets, successfully fought the flames for 24 hours. At times, they had to lie down in the dirt to “avoid burning up” as 60 mph (97 kph) winds drove flames through the forest. (11/18)
San Jose Mercury News:
Camp Fire Survivors Return Home, Some To Devastation
Some found devastation, some found miracles. Authorities on Sunday afternoon began allowing some residents to return for the first time to the destruction zone of the Camp Fire, and though many had already seen pictures taken by emergency workers and knew whether their homes had made it or not, the scenes that greeted them came as a shock. (Baron, 11/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Ron Zimmer, Pastor Of East Ave Church In Chico, Explains The Norovirus Outbreak In His Shelters And The Evacuation Site Staff's Attempts In Mitigating The Spread Of The Virus
Ron Zimmer, pastor of East Ave Church in Chico, explains the norovirus outbreak in his shelter. He details the evacuation site staff's attempts in mitigating the spread of the virus. (Kim, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Trying To Get A Handle On California's Deadly Wildfires Has Lawmakers Flummoxed
This was going to be easy, I thought foolishly. Ask some legislators and experts for their ideas on how to control California’s deadly wildfire epidemic. What should state government do about it? But they basically didn’t have a clue. And who could fault them? It’s like asking how you stop hurricanes or tornadoes or earthquakes. It’s all part of nature. You try to prepare. (Skeoton, 11/19)
