The Paradise megafire - the future? (San Diego, Orange: real estate, home owners insurance, house)

[Cida]

Scary.

‘We Have Fire Everywhere’
For eight hours last fall, Paradise, Calif., became a zone at the limits of the American imagination — and a preview of the American future.
Fisher had been in her car for nearly half an hour and traveled altogether nowhere; in fact, the burning house appeared to be only a few doors down from her own. There was a second structure aflame now. The fires were multiplying rapidly.
“I don’t want to die!” Fisher shouted. The mood had shifted. People started honking. Fisher honked, too. She began to sob and scream, to open her car door and lean her head out, asking what she should do. Later, she felt embarrassed. She would see so many YouTube videos of people calmly piloting their cars through the flames.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...alifornia.html

[Des-Lab]

We will do what we always do: Rebuild, gradually forget about it, and move on.

Till the next one hits.

Repeat.

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by Des-Lab

We will do what we always do: Rebuild, gradually forget about it, and move on.

Till the next one hits.

Repeat.

They've cleared a little under 10,000 of the 16,000 burned lots. Only 200 building permits have been issued to date. The water still isn't drinkable. This is different. Paradise will never rebuild to the extent it was before and no one around here will forget about it. It has permanently altered this county.

[Ruth4Truth]

I couldn't bear to read the article, when I saw it last Sunday, but it sounds like they're treating the Paradise fire as if it were a naturally-occurring wildfire (as from a lightning strike or such), which it wasn't. It occurred, because PG&E decided against turning off electrical service, even as it knew there was a high risk of fire caused by their equipment. In that sense, the fire doesn't represent the trend for the future.

Maybe in the sense, that climate change is resulting in higher winds, combined with super-dry conditions, it does, but the fire didn't have to happen.

Honestly, I thought it was a poor choice on the part of the NYT to run a feature on such a horrible event, sensationalizing people's misery, terror, horrific deaths, and loss. But...maybe that's just me.

[wac_432]

We should be thankful human activities (including PG&E SoCal Edison) are sparking these minor blazes every decade or so. If we waited for dry lightning or natural causes, we'd have mega-fires burning through 50+ years of accumulated fuel. Plus people would get even more complacent and never clear their land/gutters/landscaping. Fire departments wouldn't enforce clearance regulations, and many more homes (and lives) would be lost.

Of course, the real solution is to back-burn fire breaks around the at-risk areas in June/July when the winds are favorable. (Or just not live anywhere except valley floors) However, that would send environmentalists (and everyone who already freaks out about air quality) into conniptions.

I've evacuated for 3 fires now. Only one of them got close. The others burned into it's old burn scar and fizzled. Pretty clear what the solution is. Too bad we're not allowed to back-burn our own property. Physical knockdown of fuels still leaves a hillside of tinder. It still burns, just slower.

A good compromise would be putting grazing land around the towns, but I don't think we have enough cows/goats/horses.

[evening sun]

I agree that we need fire breaks, & also that PGE started the fire, ( while still being a corporate felon). I did not read the article, as I lived it. We lost our home & family heirlooms.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by evening sun

I agree that we need fire breaks, & also that PGE started the fire, ( while still being a corporate felon). I did not read the article, as I lived it. We lost our home & family heirlooms.

I still think about you every time I read one of your posts. I think about my parents homes as well that I am sure are long gone I may have mentioned their first home was on Honey Run and we just sold their duplex after my mom died about 5 years ago. I even wonder if their church that mom helped pay for is still standing. I do want to see PG&E suffer for what they caused. I still pray for all that are still there and all that lost so much. I don't think the town will ever totally re-build and it was one of the nicest little towns we ever knew.

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I still think about you every time I read one of your posts. I think about my parents homes as well that I am sure are long gone I may have mentioned their first home was on Honey Run and we just sold their duplex after my mom died about 5 years ago. I even wonder if their church that mom helped pay for is still standing. I do want to see PG&E suffer for what they caused. I still pray for all that are still there and all that lost so much. I don't think the town will ever totally re-build and it was one of the nicest little towns we ever knew.

The awful thing is whatever they're hit with will get charged to us rate payers. I really wish they'd break it up and turn the pieces into public utility districts.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by BeauCharles

The awful thing is whatever they're hit with will get charged to us rate payers. I really wish they'd break it up and turn the pieces into public utility districts.

Charge management with felonies. Bankruptcy will not get them off the hook.

[mgforshort]

Our home survived the fire and we are scared to stay here in Paradise, due to another fire coming eventually and the rising cost of taxes and insurance. We can't sell, no interest in real estate now, mainly because home owners insurance is either not available or prohibitely expensive.

In a strange way, even after the fire and living with ruins, Paradise is still a beatiful and peaceful place, much nicer than Orange County or San Diego with their 3 million residents stepping on one-another like rats in a cage. If I were single I'd take a chance staying here until my savings are exhausted by taxes and insurance. Once the dump trucks finished the cleanup and move away, Paradise will be the quietest, most tranquil town in Northern California.

The sad part is that supposedly 80 % of all wild fires are man-made. Part deliberate, arson, and part negligence, like what happened with PG&E, or just a man parking a car over dry grass.

Punishment for arson or negligence is not much - I haven't heard anyone from PG&E going to prison yet.