The Beast of Shadow and Fire
No public health measure or initiative, however well-funded, however well-constructed, is impervious to human incompetence and corruption
…A great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form… A power and terror seemed to be in it and go before it… the flames roared up to greet it and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs. - J. R. R. Tolkien, 1954
Near the end of 2018, a high-voltage line in California’s Butte County experienced a technical failure, causing an eruption of sparks into the surrounding area. Sparks turned to embers, and embers — fueled by the excess of dead vegetation, low humidity, and high winds — quickly roared into an inferno. The first group of firefighters dispatched to battle the flames used the Camp Creek road to arrive on scene, with the road’s namesake eventually used to label the disastrous event; the 2018 Camp Fire. Unparalleled in its damaged and lethality, the Camp Fire completely devastated the nearby town of Paradise, California. By the time the blaze was contained, 85 people had perished in the flames, 18,800 structures were destroyed, and an acreage equivalent to almost 116,000 football fields was reduced to ash and rubble.
Everything about that wildfire was horrific; the videos which captured the destruction, stories recounted by survivors, and the memory of the victims who were unable to escape. While a forest fire can certainly qualify as a natural disaster (IE, ignited by a lightning strike), their outbreak, frequency, and intensity are often exacerbated by actionable human failure, and there was certainly actionable human failure during and leading up to the Camp Fire. In the wake of this horror, what corrections and restitutions would be made? At the time, there was much talk and promise of action. But action never came. Lawsuit settlements were secured, but stymied in their payouts. Pledges were offered, but never fulfilled. Longstanding policies that worsened the fire conditions remained in effect. Metaphorically, it was a though some great beast of shadow and fire had emerged to reap untold devastation in the land, and just as quickly, withdraw with impunity into shadow.
This metaphor is handy in capturing a phenomenon that doesn’t seem to have a technical name; an otherwise prosperous state whose citizens frequently experience undue hardship and occasional catastrophe. And whatever the form of that hardship or catastrophe, nobody is ever responsible. Errors go uncorrected and carry on in their unalterable course, and leadership remains notably absent. For any invested in human health and well-being, this is a significant barrier to progress and improvement. No public health measure or initiative, however well-funded, however well-constructed, is impervious to human incompetence and corruption. As the nation again watches the unprecedented devastation in California, with fires again spreading through the neighborhoods and wildlands of Greater Los Angeles, it seems that history is already poised to repeat — widespread destruction, nobody responsible, and innocent citizens left again with hollow remarks and hashtags.
The Unabated Fire
In the aftermath of the Camp Fire, the Pacific Gas and Electric company (PG&E) – whose equipment initiated the blaze – was sued as part of a collective lawsuit on behalf of the victims of the fire. PG&E pled guilty to manslaughter and set up a trust fund worth about 13.5 billion dollars to be paid out to the victims. That hefty figure represented about half of the money the company owed in liabilities, due to similar instances of negligence that caused additional wildfires in 2015 and 2017. In 2022, PG&E would again settle out of court for an additional $55 million, this time for two major California wildfires sparked by decrepit power lines. These instances represent only a handful of the lawsuits, settlements, and fires which PG&E has had to provide answer.
But while equipment negligence explains an initial cause of the fire, it does not explain the fire’s rapid growth and spread. That effect is owed to both natural and man-made circumstances. On the natural side of this effect, you have California winds and atmospheric conditions. The region’s low humidity promotes dry conditions, while winds provide an accelerated stream of oxygen, a natural accelerant that increases the size and intensity of flames. However, the man-made circumstances carry significantly greater weight, because these provide the literal fuel for the fire – dead vegetation and uncleared timber.
Many years ago, California used to invest in fire prevention, not simply suppression. This was a relatively scientific practice, relying on proactive clearance of wildland acreage, through a combination of timber harvesting, underbrush removal, and controlled burns. But as the years progressed, this started to change, with state and federal regulations passed through the efforts of numerous environmental groups, moving the focus away from prevention. By blocking forest clearance bills, raising costs for clearance, or simply declaring regions of forests off-limits, forest services and fire crews lost much of their ability to remove the natural fuels that would accumulate throughout California forests. As a result, when fires do break out, they are far more catastrophic. None of this comes as a surprise to anyone, as multiple reports have been published for years citing this hazard of excess fuel. But those warnings always fell on uninterested ears.
The Perpetual Shadow
News of the fires in LA county gained nationwide traction, always sharing the most damming details; firefighter forces stretched too thin, no progress on fire containment, and no water in hydrants. While some were quick to label these claims as “misinformation”, the veracity of this information quickly came to light. Then, everyone seemed to have questions about these failures to fight the fire, including the people in charge of the firefighting policies and budgets.
Kristin Crowley, the Los Angeles fire chief, publicly criticized the city for budget cuts to the fire departments which had limited their resources. Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, who was out of the country when the fires started (not her fault), was equally perplexed during a press report, promising to get to the bottom of these failures.
That provides an entry point for governor Gavin Newsom, the man who arguably holds the most power over statewide budgets and policies, and as such, has launched a probe to investigate the fire hydrants running dry. Echoing Crowley and Bass, while donning a baseball cap lettered with CAL FIRE, Newsom shared his perplexity as to what had caused these fires. Rest assured, he encourages, because they are going to get to the bottom of this and deliver answers.
For anyone who watches Newsom consistently, it is difficult to “rest assured” about anything the man says. He is quick and confident in his reassurances, yet slow to remember how to carry them out, and this is an easily traceable pattern of behavior. Six years ago after the Camp Fire had abated, Newsom quickly signed into effect an executive order for the purpose of addressing wildfires. Several years after this fact, he proudly promoted the state’s priority projects for wildfire prevention on 90,000 acres of land, as well as budget allocations. That sounds good, but there’s a problem. The state data reported less than 12,000 acres being cleared, and while Newsom had boosted the CAL FIRE budget for personnel and supplies, he slashed $100 million from the wildfire prevention budget. Expert analysis from that same report states that California needs to be clearing a million acres per year, and policies that limit forest clearance need reversal.
During his “Meet the Press” interview, Newsom said there was no water emergency, that state reservoirs were full. He is correct. The critical context missing is how California has not built any new water infrastructure since 1979. Since that time, the state’s population ballooned from 23 to 39 million, leaving reserves (however full they are) woefully inadequate. In fact, the state is currently working to remove infrastructure, such as the Klamath dam, in the name of environmental protection.
California wildfires inevitably invite commentary about the contributing role of climate change. Rising carbon emissions are certainly a point of interest, because as temperatures rise, there is plausible amplification of those aforementioned natural factors that can accelerate the growth of the fire. However, would that not be an arguable justification for why forest clearance was needed? Wouldn’t civic leaders know that by now?
Beside the point, the evidence does not report any observable trend in Los Angeles moisture exposure. Precipitation rates have been fairly consistent since the 19th century, with wet periods and dry periods.
All of this means that for political leaders, climate change is nothing more than a scapegoat; their own personal beast they can blame to save face when policies fail. There is an absolutely incredible video online, with Newsom hosting a press conference and spending most of his time discussing climate change. Watch the first 14 minutes, and take note of Newsom’s visage and excitement whenever he discusses the climate. The picture of Newsom smiling below is not the effect of a clever screenshot, as he is quite animated and enthusiastic while delivering his remarks in front of recently burned down buildings and ash.
The Abandoned Public
Wildfires do not have any inherent connection to public heath and policy, however, the former reveals a significant problem for the latter. Managerial incompetence rarely exists in a silo. In other words, the same ineptitude that is incapable of making any real progress on forest fire suppression or elimination can and will spill over into problems outside of wildfires.
In 2024, an audit report was released showing that since 2019, the California government had spent $24 billion dollars (with a ‘b’) on initiatives to combat homelessness, but during that time period, the number of homeless went from 30,000, to more than 181,000. State officials are unsure where most of that money went.
In 2021, the California government acknowledged it had paid out up to $31 billion dollars to criminal enterprises through the Employment Development Department.
On this goes, with mounting evidence that California is posting public leadership that is either inept at their jobs, not very knowledgable of the communities they serve, or both. Consider the following quote from LA Fire Department Deputy Chief Kristine Larson:
You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency, whether it’s a medical call or a fire call that looks like you. It gives that person a little bit more ease, knowing that somebody might understand their situation better. [Italics added]
In grace, that statement was likely offered in the spirit of good intention and inclusion, but unfortunately, it stands completely outside of reality, which is where humanity resides.
In a real emergency, human beings seek help and do not tend to be extraordinarily picky about the form of that help. Draw your own conclusion, but it is disappointing to see leadership which has set looks and superficiality ahead of the values of their communities. Esteeming yourself as an emblematic figure of admiration may sound good for a public relations video, but strikes discordant notes as you watch a neighborhood you were charged to protect turn to ash.
California has a problem. There is too much destruction burning its way through communities, yet somehow not ever being responsible for it. If we want to truly defeat this monster, we will need to build reservoirs of light along with water, because only light can banish shadow. Transparency, accountability, competency, banishing all shadows so that the beast has nowhere to hide. But until that day arrives, it will almost be certain that the beast of shadow and fire will continue to bide its time, eager for its next opportunity to reap destruction upon an innocent community.