‘We got really lucky’: Why California escaped another destructive fire season in 2022
The Camp Fire is burning through Butte County, Butte County Sheriff Kelli Roe said Saturday
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Two firestorms have hit California this year, one that is not letting up and the other that is, according to a recent report from the state’s insurance commissioner.
The two were dubbed the “Big Bear Fire” fires, after the massive blaze destroyed more than 10,500 structures in the Sierra Nevada’s Big Bear region.
And even though its size was smaller, the Camp Fire — which burned through Butte County, Butte County Sheriff Kelli Roe said — is burning in the same way.
“We got really lucky,” the sheriff said Saturday, according to USA TODAY Network. “This is the first time we lost an urban area in California in a year.”
The Camp Fire is burning on the north side of the state near Redding, according to data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The fire had consumed over 11,000 acres as of Sunday morning.
The two fires had an estimated combined value of $14 billion in losses.
To get an idea about the damage, consider this: The Camp Fire was the most destructive fire in California history at 2,948 structure fires, burning through eight towns, including Redding.
The Big Bear fire was also the most devastating in terms of square footage destroyed, with a total of 3,895 structures burned.
And the Redding fire, which is now the largest wildfire in the state, was the most deadly at 2,058 fatalities, the Associated Press reported.
One reason for the increased severity of these fires is climate change, the sheriff said, according to the
