Apocalyptic California Fires – Could It Happen Here?
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – All eyes have been on the greater Los Angeles area this week, as residents flee and lose homes in what looks like something from a war zone. Say what you will about California politics, Los Angeles is the second biggest city in the country, and real people still suffer, as thousands of homes have already been lost and several people already reported missing or deceased.
The tragedy has many parents and critics were quick to point out the disaster was both avoidable and foreseeable, while local officials seemed to miss all the warning signs. The city’s mayor was in Africa at the time, although knowing conditions were ripe for a fire to go wild. She had already cut the city’s fire department budget by more than 17 million dollars, and that department seemed to be more focused on social issues than fighting fires.
California Governor Gavin Newsome himself had touted lowering water levels to protect smelt fish, leaving many hydrants high and dry when the flames hit. He had also declined to hold controlled burns to clear out brush in the state’s forest, worried the resulting smoke could be hazardous to residents.
There is a considerable more amount of smoke now, with helicopter footage of the city showing large swathes no longer exist. The fires are still far from under control with cost – in both money and lives – still to be calculated.
For those of us who live in an area known as “The Piney Woods,” fire is always top of mind. If you look at an aerial photo or satellite image of the area, it looks more like what it is – a big, dense forest, with a few concrete spots we call towns and cities.
“The state of Texas does controlled burns throughout the year to keep that from happening,” confirmed Crockett Fire Department Chief Jason Frizzell. “A lot of proactive work is done to clean up and clear out some of that extra fuel.”
Jordan Herrin, Regional Forrester for the area said people should understand fires are a part of nature.
“We mimic natural processes on our own timelines, in a controlled way,” Herrin said. “We are living in fire-pro ecosystems and we use a lot of prescribed fire on state and private lands. When we harvest timber, that is replacing a forest stand. If we don’t go in and cut the trees down, there could be hurricanes, tornadoes or fires that completely knock them over. It’s just mimicking natural systems but on our timelines and really to get some type of value, whether that’s commercial, timber values, aesthetic values or wildlife values.”
Herrin said while this past summer turned drier, the area was lucky, with few fires, unlike summers past.
“Our mission is to be able to respond to these things and we are constantly monitoring our weather conditions and our fuel conditions, because when those lineup, we can have very dangerous conditions,” Herrin said. “If we get a spark, whether that’s a human-caused spark – which is 90 % of the way wildfires start – we’re really in a defensive mode, trying to make sure people’s lives are saved, and hopefully reduce as much property damage as possible.”
As good old Smokey the Bear always told us, only we can prevent forest fires. Keeping those campsites well-policed, watching where and what you burn and respecting county burn bans are great ways of reducing the risk of an uncontrolled fire. Volunteering for one of our local county fire departments doesn’t hurt, either.
Frizzell said the county is lucky when it comes to water access when fighting fires. After reports came in of dry hydrants, Frizzell admitted the county has backup when it comes to putting water on fire.
“We are lucky because we have Houston County Lake,” Frizzell noted. “If we had to call in air support to help us, that’s a water source the helicopters can pull from. If they find a big enough pond or lake, they can draw water from there, too.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
