California wildfires roar into 'uncharted territory' fueled climate change

Jim Schultz and Chelcey Adami and John Bacon USA TODAY

Published 2:37 p.m. UTC Aug 2, 2018

REDDING, Calif. – The surging wildfires raging across Northern California represent a "new normal" and the state must be prepared to spend billions of dollars dousing, containing and trying to curb them in the future, Gov. Jerry Brown said.

Brown, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said the state's exploding population combined with climate change has conspired to create ripe conditions for the prodigious blazes.

"Nature is very powerful and we are not on the side of nature," Brown said. "Every year is teaching the fire authorities new lessons. We are in uncharted territory."

The state is ablaze with more than a dozen wildfires. The largest, the Carr Fire, has roared through 190 square miles in and around this city 200 miles north of San Francisco. More than 1,000 homes have been confirmed destroyed, and each day the number grows.

More: Firefighters battle an enemy they can't beat: A changing climate

More: After the fire comes the bill: The rising cost of fighting California blazes

More: Intense heat, 'firenadoes' fuel deadly Carr Fire in California

The fire was 35 percent contained. Some residents were returning to charred neighborhoods, hoping their homes were spared. Joel Chase, 31, was not among the fortunate. About the only thing left standing was a red-topped outdoor gazebo.

"I expected more ash than crumble," Chase said as he surveyed the debris.

Alyssa Henderson and her boyfriend Justin Chavez gratefully watched as a PG&E employee sifted through some the rubble of their home for personal treasures. One item, a rock, was painted with text that read: “Blessed are those that expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed.”

“I’ll give this to my mom,” Henderson said. “She’ll be happy with that.”

Chavez said he was trying to cut shrubs down Thursday to help safeguard their home when the fire crested the ridge and barreled down toward them.

“I could only keep my eyes open for about ten seconds at a time because it was so hot,” he said. “We just kind of left and hoped for the best.”

The governor said the state was "not designed for 40 million people, it was designed for a few hundred thousand." Construction and the exhaust from 32 million cars are taking their toll, he said.

The Carr Fire is already the sixth-most destructive wildfire in state history, and it's not out yet. Half of California's 10 most destructive wildfires have burned in the past four years. And the Carr Fire is the earliest major wildfire in decades, a sobering statistic as fire seasons continue to grow longer.

Brown said he was building a home not far from the fire zone. And he was worried that it might burn some day.

"We are in a new normal," Brown said. "We are in for a really rough ride."

Schultz and Adami report for the Redding Record Searchlight; Bacon reported from McLean, Va.

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