A Single Ember: Soberanes & California Wildfires
Living in California involves a delicate dance between nature and man. The high drought of summer contrasts with the lush rainy season of winter. One can become complacent, expect things to go on just as perfectly as ever in this coastal paradise, never realizing that one small spark can lead to such horrible consequences. California wildfires are becoming bigger and more devastating, and there cannot be too much education regarding prevention, in my opinion. There is a new ad campaign out with the message “A single ember can travel over a mile”, and I seriously hope people think about this.
The year I moved to my farm there was a fire in north Corral de Tierra, supposedly caused by a trailer dragging chains along the highway, which created a series of sparks jumping alongside the dead grass ditches and transmogrifying into a pitched wildfire. There was also another fire to the south in Tassajara set by a purportedly suicidal man who set himself on fire in his car, initiating a wildfire which burned uncontrollably for weeks. Last year I journaled my experience during the devastating 2016 Soberanes fire.
—I see a faint flicker of difference in the lighting the minute I step outside. The normally blue sky is now somewhat pink as if someone is holding a gargantuan piece of rose colored fabric between the sun and earth. I do not see flames but I soon learn their inauspicious cause. It is coming from Soberanes, an area located south of Monterey and Carmel, with trails snaking through steep hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean along the Big Sur Coastline. Local firefighters as well as those from further north in San Francisco are now battling the fire in this remote and heavily forested area.
Each day I wake to find a smattering of white flakes like a delicate sprinkling of fine snow powdering the tawny hillside. It is ash confetti from the wildfire being blown over in a sobering morning kiss. I see photos of firefighters on the news contrasted with smoke and flame. Their faces are cavernous and hollow. Their eyes are worn, haunted. They look tired of the fighting the flames. They just look done in. By day 10, the fire is approaching Carmel Valley. They say five fire lines have been cut to prevent the fire from reaching the village. That is what they say.
It has now been over two weeks and the fire is moving south. They say it is 50% contained. The firefighters say it was caused by an illegal campfire set at the junction where two meandering creeks met to form a waterfall in the depths of Garapatta forest. At least 57 homes and buildings have been burned up, and a bulldozer operator working to clear brush was killed when his bulldozer topped over on the steep terrain, crushing him beneath. The horrible stench of smoke I have awoken to the past several days is waning, although they say on the news our poor air quality is approaching that of Delhi, India.
Who set the campfire? Stories have been circulating. One involves a group of homeless people from Santa Cruz who were asked to leave by forest rangers but returned later to move even further into the forest. Was it a campfire of revenge? Another story involves the possibility of a couple out for a hike who became enticed by the beauty of the streams and waterfall and stopped for a romantic tryst, hastily lit a campfire, then abandoned it. Stories are stories. Whatever the reason, the effect of their actions is entirely devastating.—
The Soberanes Fire was eventually quelled after three months, and was deemed the most expensive wildfire to fight in United States history. Sadly, most wildfires are caused by PEOPLE. According to CalFire and the Forest Service, the following can cause wildfires: burning debris, smoking, unattended campfires, kids playing with matches, sparks from trains, outdoor equipment such as weed whackers, and the heat from catalytic converters in autos. If you are visiting California, please check with the local authorities before having a campfire. There are often strict penalties for unapproved fires here, and as you can see, for good reason. Peace out!
