From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
California
Central Valley
Santa Cruz Indymedia
Environment & Forest Defense
Health, Housing & Public Services
Front Page
Wed Nov 14 2018 (Updated 12/01/18)
Fire Season of 2018 Brings Historic Devastation
Investigators Looking into Role Played by PG&E and Southern California Edison in Fires
The isolated mountain town of Paradise, California, approximately 15 miles from Chico, is now in smoldering ruins, with thousands of homes, businesses and vehicles destroyed. The nearby community of Concow was also similarly destroyed. Eighty-eight people who did not survive the smoke and fire have been found thus far. The number of lives lost is expected to rise as more structures and vehicles are searched. Many of the remains are discovered in cars along escape routes. Because of the high intensity of the fire, most are unidentifiable. Hundreds of people remain missing; the fire is almost completely contained.
The cause of the Camp Fire is under investigation. Fire department radio transmissions suggest that the utility monopoly Pacific Gas and Electric could be to blame. PG&E has a history of negligence leading to deaths. In 2010 a massive gas explosion in a suburban neighborhood in San Bruno, California killed eight people. The utility company may be able to defray the cost of its negligence by up-charging consumers, meaning the public may end up paying for PG&E's negligence.
In Southern California, the Woolsey Fire has reached 100% containment, but killed at least three people, destroyed hundreds of structures, and consumed nearly 100,000 acres. The massive Woolsey Fire started on the grounds of Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL/Rocketdyne), the site of a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959, and area residents are concerned about the spread of contaminates. Southern California Edison is being investigated by state regulators for its possible role.
As the state burned, California anxiously awaited the first winter rains, seeking reprieve from the notoriously destructive "fire season" of 2018. With heavy rains finally beginning on November 21, the Camp Fire, Woolsey, and other wildfires are now either mostly contained or fully extinguished, and the hazardous air quality the fires created throughout the state has been cleared.
Read More: Public Risks from the Woolsey Fire and the Santa Susana Field Laboratory: A Letter to DTSC | Down In Smoke SF | Woolsey Fire Burns Toxic Santa Susana Reactor Site | City of Santa Cruz Announces Park Closures | UCSC Students Initiate Petition to Close Campus Due to Poor Air Quality | Thousands of Prisoner Firefighters Combating Wildfires in California | Camp Fire: Hundreds Missing in Most Deadly and Destructive Wildfire in California History | Massive Woolsey Fire Began On Contaminated Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Close to Site of Partial Meltdown | Woolsey Fire Burns Nuclear Meltdown Site that State Toxics Agency Failed to Clean Up | California Fire Near Nuclear Accident Site
The cause of the Camp Fire is under investigation. Fire department radio transmissions suggest that the utility monopoly Pacific Gas and Electric could be to blame. PG&E has a history of negligence leading to deaths. In 2010 a massive gas explosion in a suburban neighborhood in San Bruno, California killed eight people. The utility company may be able to defray the cost of its negligence by up-charging consumers, meaning the public may end up paying for PG&E's negligence.
In Southern California, the Woolsey Fire has reached 100% containment, but killed at least three people, destroyed hundreds of structures, and consumed nearly 100,000 acres. The massive Woolsey Fire started on the grounds of Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL/Rocketdyne), the site of a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959, and area residents are concerned about the spread of contaminates. Southern California Edison is being investigated by state regulators for its possible role.
As the state burned, California anxiously awaited the first winter rains, seeking reprieve from the notoriously destructive "fire season" of 2018. With heavy rains finally beginning on November 21, the Camp Fire, Woolsey, and other wildfires are now either mostly contained or fully extinguished, and the hazardous air quality the fires created throughout the state has been cleared.
Read More: Public Risks from the Woolsey Fire and the Santa Susana Field Laboratory: A Letter to DTSC | Down In Smoke SF | Woolsey Fire Burns Toxic Santa Susana Reactor Site | City of Santa Cruz Announces Park Closures | UCSC Students Initiate Petition to Close Campus Due to Poor Air Quality | Thousands of Prisoner Firefighters Combating Wildfires in California | Camp Fire: Hundreds Missing in Most Deadly and Destructive Wildfire in California History | Massive Woolsey Fire Began On Contaminated Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Close to Site of Partial Meltdown | Woolsey Fire Burns Nuclear Meltdown Site that State Toxics Agency Failed to Clean Up | California Fire Near Nuclear Accident Site
2024-05-08
Resistance to Deceptive Forest Service Measure is Growing
Front Page
| Environment & Forest Defense
| Central Valley
| California
| U.S.2024-05-08
Regulators are Failing to Protect Children from Repeat Exposure to Dangerous Pesticides
Environment & Forest Defense
| Racial Justice
| Health, Housing & Public Services
| Labor & Workers
| Education & Student Activism
| Santa Cruz Indymedia2024-04-24
Across the Globe, Students Set Up Encampments in Solidarity with Palestinians
Front Page
| Anti-War
| Education & Student Activism
| Central Valley
| San Francisco
| South Bay
| East Bay
| Peninsula
| North Bay / Marin
| North Coast
| California
| U.S.
| International
| Palestine
| Santa Cruz Indymedia2024-04-09
Deal Described as One of the Most Significant Urban Land Back Victories in US History
Front Page
| Environment & Forest Defense
| Racial Justice
| East Bay2024-03-20
Victory! EFF Helps Indybay Resist San Francisco Police Warrant and Gag Order
Front Page
| Police State & Prisons
| Media Activism & Independent Media
| San Francisco2024-02-09
Catholic Anti-Choice Marchers Get an Earful from Abortion Rights Activists in San Francisco
Front Page
| Health, Housing & Public Services
| Womyn
| San Francisco
| South Bay
| U.S.2024-01-10
Wall of Shipping Containers Intended to Keep the Public Out of People's Park
Front Page
| Police State & Prisons
| Environment & Forest Defense
| Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism
| Education & Student Activism
| East Bay
| California2023-12-08
Largest Ever Pro-Palestine Marches in NorCal Demand End to US Aid for Israel's War on Gaza
Front Page
| Anti-War
| Central Valley
| San Francisco
| South Bay
| Peninsula
| U.S.
| International
| Palestine
| Santa Cruz Indymedia2023-10-31
Three Activists Detained at Climate Protest for Crossing Beale Air Force Base Gate
Front Page
| Environment & Forest Defense
| Anti-War
| Central Valley
| California
| U.S.2023-09-29
California Climate Justice Actions in Coordination with Massive New York City March
Front Page
| Environment & Forest Defense
| Central Valley
| California2023-08-19
Environmentalists Speak Out Against Airport Expansion as Climate Disasters Accelerate
Environment & Forest Defense
| East Bay
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network