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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    First the inferno, Now the clean-up. What then?

    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."

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    By Warren Olney • Oct 19, 2017 • 1 min read

    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?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

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      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

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      Sáša Woodruff

      Producer, 'To the Point'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Devan Schwartz

      Producer

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      Nick Rahaim

      Press Democrat

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      Karen Relucio

      Napa County Division of Public Health

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      Stephen Pyne

      Arizona State University

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