Go back.

ASHA and her friends had a narrow escape from the California wildfires.

Thick smoke has followed us over the ridge, but we're almost out.

They were lucky to have returned safely after walking 13 miles on foot.

A.

Some were left with a permanent scar.

By the time I got there, it was little more than smoldering rubble carrying a local journal lesson.

Barry Creek had to cover her father's store burning down, but it was only the second time I had ever heard him cry before.

I did not think he would be able to handle it quite as well as he is able to handle most of life's obstacles.

Wildfires are not new to California.

Why is this year unprecedented?

You know it is about forest management.

Please remember the words very simple forest management.

But is it just about managing the forests?

Native Americans have always harness fires to keep forest strong.

Ah, healthy fire takes out weak and dead trees and returns nutrients to the soil.

But a century of misguided fire suppression policy in the U.

S.

Means dry fuel has been piling up.

What we end up with our 90 years of buildup and top of climate change that is now catalyzing this process, they are creating a tinderbox, and we're seeing actually different climate change domino chains happening all at the same time.

In California, we had one of the longest droughts.

This caused a massive tree mortality throughout the state.

At the same time, we're having unprecedented heat waves.

Those heat waves then caused lightning strikes.

We had over 14,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours that ignited 900 fired.

Now we're on Lee at the start of the fire season, and Californians face a long term impact Now that the state has rebounded from the second spike of cove, it we are now facing this, um, abysmal air quality issue that will impact our state's economy.

Workers, um, folks that are unemployed on top of the pandemic.

Everybody's emotional health is so low, and you know that finally, the thought crossed my mind and my husband's mind Is this really sustainable long term, Like many Californians carried in her family are fearful for the future.

Two years ago, I thought, Things is the one time I'll ever have to cover anything this tragic.

And here I am now, and I'm feeling it a lot more personally because my family has been directly affected by this fire.

But not everyone can afford to leave.

Not everyone can uproot.

They may have lost their homes, but this is still the place where they're earning an income to be able to support themselves and potentially those they love.