Over 50% of a California county has burned since 2012. Residents have had enough - Sensationalist Headlines

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lake-county-fire-epicenter-20180814-story.html Clarence Sibsey sat alone at a table in the Twin Pine Casino evacuation center, tired and dejected. Once again, a fire was threatening his community and he had to leave home. Two years ago, he fled the massive Valley fire. Now he had been driven away by the Mendocino Complex fire, which at more than 340,000 acres is the biggest in California history. “We’ve never had fires like this before,” Sibsey said. “Why now?” The battle to control the massive blaze continued Monday, as officials announced the death of a Utah firefighter on the front lines. The unidentified firefighter was airlifted to a hospital, where he died. Authorities said “fact-finding on the accident” was underway. The news came amid progress in containing the fire, which enabled more residents to return home. But the blaze has been a grim reminder for Lake County residents of how their area is now an epicenter for fires. A Los Angeles Times analysis found that more than 50% of the county’s land has been burned since 2012. And it has sparked debate for some residents about whether living in this rural enclave about 120 miles north of San Francisco is worth it. The Pawnee fire recently threatened nearby Spring Valley, whose residents had to evacuate for a second time in just a few months. Two years ago, the Clayton fire tore through almost 4,000 acres and 300 structures, many of them mobile homes and rentals. The blaze hit the town of Lower Lake particularly hard, destroying a 150-year-old church and a Habitat for Humanity office. In 2015, three wildfires ripped through Lake County, including the Valley fire, which destroyed more than 1,300 homes and killed at least four people. Resident Bo Stover said he won’t be around for the next big blaze. He’s tired of the displacement and dangers, and plans to move to Arkansas. “I’m sick of all this. I’m too old. I’m looking for peace in my life,” the 61-year-old said as he sat in the evacuation center. Rick Bennett, who lives in the community of Nice, said Lake County has seen some big fires over the years, but nothing compared to the Mendocino Complex. He wondered what the landscape will look like when the fire is finally contained. “We’re losing so many of our natural resources,” he said. “People are afraid to come. I’d be a liar if I said there wasn’t a part of me that wants to leave.” Longtime residents said it has proved difficult to deal with this new constant threat of fire. “You think, ‘Oh, it’ll never happen to me,’” Bennett said, adding that he tends to forget about the fires until temperatures start to climb. That’s when he gets anxious. “It’s getting to where I dread the summer. I don’t want to see summer come,” he said.

I live in High Desert. I'm used to about a week of smoke clouding up the sky around late summer. It's just expected yearly at this point.

My dad's half of the family hails from Lake County. Shit's fucked. I know people who have had their homes burn down twice in the past five years. Worst part is that many parts of it are very poor. Few people can afford to flee the area like they should. And expect many other parts of the world to face chronic fires in the next few decades. This is just a taste of what's coming.

Hey at least the eucalyptus trees will be able germinate and grow more trees.

Why now? Well, did you think that climate change was an abstract concept that wouldn't directly affect you or what?

If you ask the GOP.. .. At best..