Of Fires and Friends and Preventable Catastrophes
California Has Now Suffered Its Worst Fire in History — Will We Wake Up and Take Our Responsibility to Our Planet Seriously?
Do you know the song lyric? ‘They paved over paradise and put up a parking lot?’. It’s a song about the stupid decisions we make as a culture when we privilege uber-capitalist tendencies over some good, old-fashioned common sense. Well, the scene in parts of California right now, where people have experienced ‘hell bursting forth’ in literal scenes of post-apocalyptic horror, are devastating to those of us who know good people who have tried to prevent these sorts of catastrophes. ‘Paradise’ (a town of 27,000) has now literally burned to the ground, making the Camp Fire in Northern California the worst in California history. And it’s not California’s only fire, Southern California has been hit, as well. A combination of dry conditions and winds have whipped these fires into a frenzy.
The Paradise fire has burned more than 10,000 structures and killed at least 71 people, with more than 1,000 still unaccounted for. It was fueled by intense winds gusting above 70 mph. The region has not had significant rainfall since May.
Trump has erroneously suggested that poor forest management is to blame for the destruction wrought by the Camp fire as well as the Woolsey fire, which burned through suburban Southern California from Oak Park to Malibu. More than 800 structures were lost and three people died. The Woolsey fire was not near any forest (Source: LA Times)
It’s been really hard to watch. Last year’s fires in Canada, Montana, and California were also huge, meaning fire prevention and fighting resources are seriously strained. The smoke from fires has affected a large number of people, including us here in Seattle. It hits home for me in so many ways.
My old friend and surrogate parent, Larry Ballew, who has now passed, spent decades working for the Forestry Service, fighting fires and doing preventive work to make populated areas fire-safe. I met him circa 1989, strangely enough, when I was performing a singing telegram at a Forestry Convention (you can’t make this stuff up), and we had a chance to chat for a few minutes before my performance. Turned out he was also a fine art photographer and interested in photographing me. I like art, so I said okay, and thus began a decades-long friendship with he and his extended family, who owned an original homestead ranch in the Yosemite area in Central California. They sort of adopted me when I was 19. My own family was riddled with scenes of conflict and abuse and I had essentially run away from them in life. It was nice to have a cool place to call home, where I was always welcome, just like home is supposed to be. I frequently brought friends there, traveled internationally with Larry and his wife, and thought of them as my parents. We didn’t agree about everything, but in matters of heart and soul, we were always on the same page.
Despite him being an enthusiastic Republican and land-owner, Larry’s California values and love of nature and beauty drove his vocation (dharma) in life. He was honestly another Ansel Adams for the central California region, and photographed both landscapes and people. His wife, Chris, was of Native American and pioneer origin, and was an elder and leader in one of the California tribes. She was a descendant of Chief Mukshaw of the Chukchansis and early Madera County European settlers Richard Hawke and Thurmond Stromberg. She herself was a warm and kind force of nature who loved the land she lived on, as well as all of its inhabitants.
I can’t help but think how devastated Larry would be to know about these latest fires, not just in California but all over the world. Fires that start via negligence and are now fueled by the sheer incompetence and neglect of the Trump administration and the myriad disaster relief organizations that require funding, resources, and coordination.
Larry Ballew nearly died in one of those fires and had quite the hair-raising tale to tell. The fire literally crossed over him as he took shelter under a piece of heavy equipment. After he retired from the Forestry Service, he worked as a consultant for Pacific Gas and Electric. His job was to manage crews who ensured that power lines were cleared of brush that could cause fires like this one. It’s important work that needs to be done, but in the age of climate change denial, the funding and imperative for these efforts is not being prioritized. Larry also managed crews that planted 2 million trees in California. He eventually died of COPD related to all of those years of forest fighting.
I can’t help but think of him as I watch what is now unfolding in my home state. I was living in Berkeley as a student during the Oakland fires in the early 90s and I recall what it’s like to see a ridge on fire and advancing towards where I lived. The building I lived in (an old hotel called Cloyne Court, for those who know it) was all wood and 100 hundred years old. I packed up and prepared to evacuate. Thankfully they managed to put that fire out, but it’s something I will never forget.
My thoughts are with you, California. We can avert further disaster, but we need to focus our attention on these issues. Please share fire-related news and info about relief efforts, donate to orgs supporting fire and ecological efforts. We need to hold the Trump administration accountable, as well, for trying to erase climate change from the conversation these last two years. Be informed, act if you can. Thank you.
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