Why Was the Impact the Camp Fire Left on California so Huge?
Across California, many people have been feeling the devastating impact of the 2018 Camp Fire, which left many people injured, dead, and property lost due to outright negligence. The Camp Fire is now being deemed one of the most deadly and destructive wildfires that ever happened in the United States. With well over 12,000 structures taken away and handfuls of lives lost, this incident has also swept away a full 140,000 or more acres and left many people homeless when they least expected it. We never expect fires to become so out of control, so why was the impact so large? Understanding how a catastrophic fire such as this one can occur could help us prevent these incidents in the future.
A History of Fires in California
To gain a better understanding of how common these trends have become, we have to take a closer look at the Carr Fire, which happened in California in August and burned over 229,000 acres of forest. This fire started during a time when California was at its hottest, driest, and windiest. There was very little rain at the time of the Carr Fire as well, which are the same conditions we have been facing since the Camp Fire. The wind helped the fires to travel at astounding and unexpected rates. When the Camp Fire started burning, scientists say that northern California winds were, at some point, reaching 70 mph. This meant that the fire could spread so quickly that, at one point, it was going faster than a football field in just one second, wiping out everything in its path.
As time goes on, scientists start to realize that fires in California are actually part of a normal and natural ecosystem, but that humans have fueled many fires that have led to devastating results. As such, it is important that we identify the individuals and corporations responsible, as they could have likely done more in their power to ensure that these fires did not grow to the extents that they did.
Investigators discovered, at the time of the Carr Fire, that sparks from a broken down car likely led to the incident that wiped out so much land and caused such destruction. The Camp Fire, on the other hand, happened due to negligent actions and inactions on behalf of PG&E and sparking power lines.
The same can be said on behalf of the horrific Tubbs Fire of 2017, which broke out in the middle of the night, making it difficult for many people to evacuate and spreading all across Sonoma and Napa Counties. This fire quickly rose to the top as one of the most destructive fires that California ever experienced until the Camp Fire occurred. The Camp Fire has caused more loss than both of these incidents due to the fact that an entire town was incinerated to the ground and so many lives were lost.
Gaining Help You Deserve
If you have been injured or a loved one has lost their life due to the negligence of PG&E, we want you to know that you have many rights in your claim and we would like to offer a helping hand to you and your family at this time. At the Brady Law Group, our experienced personal injury and wrongful death attorneys are here for your many needs, helping you litigate a wide variety of issues as you move forward. Our attorneys have helped many victims receive successful verdicts and we are here to protect the rights of the victims who have experienced the 2018 Camp Fire or lost a loved one. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you at (415) 459-7300.
