The blazes in Northern California are being called "firestorms," "hurricanes" and "blizzards of flame." They've been compared to a "blowtorch." In a state where wildfires are hardly uncommon, experts say civilian casualties and property loss are "historic" — like "nothing [they've] ever seen." The death toll is at least 42; some 3000 homes were destroyed; 213,000 acres have been turned into charred wastelands. Survivors are warned that debris is too toxic to allow digging for beloved possessions; smoke and ashes are causing health problems for miles around. What caused the fires? Why did they spread? Can the next ones be prevented?
First the inferno, Now the clean-up. What then?
Credits
Guests:
Nick Rahaim - Press Democrat -
@nrahaim,
Karen Relucio - Napa County Division of Public Health,
Stephen Pyne - Arizona State University -
@asuSOLS,
Scott Stephens - University of California, Berkeley -
@ESPM_Berkeley
More:
Host:
Warren Olney
Producers:
Andrea Brody,
Sáša Woodruff,
Devan Schwartz